Five fun facts about the Bolivia legal system
1. Since 2011, Supreme Court judges have been elected by popular vote. In January 2015, President Evo Morales admitted…
About my body
One of the differences I’ve noticed between Bolivia and Ecuador is that people don’t stare at me here.…
Today I went to jail
The concrete walls soar straight up towards the sunny sky. It’s just like a fortress should be – a…
One week, three convictions
It’s been a big week for IJM Bolivia. Three convictions in one week is no small feat, particularly…
“Effectivisation”: A post about the law (and reforming it)
Bolivia is currently reforming its justice system. On October 31, the Bolivian Parliament passed a new piece of legislation, called the Law for the Decongestion and Effectivisation of the Criminal Procedure System. In case you were wondering, it's Ley de Decongestionamiento y Efectivización del Sistema Procesal Penal in Spanish - and "efectivización" isn't a real word in Spanish either, hence the weird translation.
Process is at the heart of justice - as important as a just result is a just procedure to arrive at that result. I'll confess I've forgotten a lot of what they taught me at law school, but this particular principal of justice has stuck with me. Working at IJM Bolivia, I am struck anew by how much of a paradox this often is.