Columbia International Affairs Online: Policy Briefs

CIAO DATE: 10/2009

Building the Rule of Law in Haiti: New Laws for a New Era

Hans Joerg Albrecht, Louis Aucoin, Vivienne O’Connor

August 2009

United States Institute of Peace

Abstract

USIP is working with lawmakers and legal specialists in Haiti to reform and update the country's criminal laws that date back to the early 19th century. In the report, "Building the Rule of Law in Haiti: New Laws for a New Era," authors Hans Joerg Albrecht, Louis Aucoin and Vivienne O’Connor examine the shortcomings of the current criminal laws and opportunities to reform the criminal code. The report finds promising signs that Haiti's criminal laws, and thus its criminal justice system, will undergo huge transformations in the coming years. Despite Haiti's numerous challenges, the authors conclude that new criminal laws will herald in a new era where criminal laws serve all the people of Haiti, including the poor, vulnerable and marginalized, rather than just the rich and powerful, and upon which respect for the law and the legitimacy of a stronger justice system can be built.