The Security and Justice Section of the Department of Public Security supports Member States in the design, implementation, and evaluation of public policies that promote improvements in police and justice systems, the effective implementation of access to justice, the professionalization and modernization of police forces, and the professionalization and modernization of penitentiary and prison systems, programs for the assistance and protection of victims and witnesses, and strengthening the capacities of police, prosecutors and judicial investigations of crimes.
Within the framework of the modernization of penitentiary and prison systems, we work on the development and implementation of comprehensive prison strategies, the education and training of prison staff, as well as on the reintegration and rehabilitation of persons deprived of liberty, and the promotion of alternatives to incarceration.
We manage the Inter-American Network for Police Development and Professionalization (REDPPOL) as an international cooperation mechanism for the generation and management of police knowledge appropriate to the new security circumstances of the region and the exchange of good practices and lessons learned. REDPPOL focuses on (i) police education and training; (ii) sub-regional horizontal cooperation; iii) implementation and certification in Quality Management; and (iv) the development of a digital platform for police cooperation. REDPPOL coordinates the police support unit integrated by associate personnel assigned by the Member States and maintains cooperative relations with national and international institutions, governmental or non-governmental, including the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) and the Police Community of the Americas (AMERIPOL), among others.
The Section also develops and implements initiatives to strengthen the capacities of police and judicial investigations of crimes, including crimes related to irregular migration, and the crime of kidnapping for ransom; coordinates the implementation of methodologies for the evaluation and analysis of national security systems; assistance in better structuring and monitoring the services offered by private security companies in the Member States; supports Member States in the development of regulatory frameworks on security and justice; and promotes the development and use of restorative justice programs, while maintaining safeguards to protect victims, within formal criminal justice processes.
The office works under the Department of Public Security.