investigations and prosecutions of major crimes, including drug trafficking, 

major killings, and political violence, these investigations and prosecutions 

have moved slowly and produced very limited results, according to U.S. 

officials. 

The judicial system is characterized by outdated legal codes and 

cumbersome, slow, and inflexible judicial proceedings, according to U.S., 

Haitian, and other donor officials. As a result, in criminal cases, many 

people are put behind bars in preventive detention

7

; some judicial 

institutions, such as investigating magistrates' offices, have large case 

backlogs; and criminal courts still hold few jury trials every year.

8

 During 

our visits to judicial facilities in Port au Prince and Jacmel, judicial officials 

emphasized the urgent need for developing and implementing a 

comprehensive reform of the judicial sector to modernize legal codes and 

streamline judicial proceedings. During our discussion with the Haitian 

Minister of Justice, the Minister noted that, because his predecessors had 

failed to reform the judicial sector, he had been working to reform the 

sector since assuming his position in 1999. He emphasized that he was 

working, with U.N. support, to develop a reform proposal and related 

recommendations for consideration by the next Haitian government, which 

will take power in February 2001.

Because of its small budget the judicial sector receives about 11.5 percent 

of the budget of the Ministry of Justice the judicial sector has personnel 

shortages, inadequate infrastructure, and limited equipment and supplies. 

For instance, during our visits to judicial institutions in Port au Prince and 

Jacmel, Haitian officials emphasized that their institutions did not have 

enough personnel to conduct business adequately, given the size of the 

populations and territories that their institutions have to serve. During our 

visits to judicial institutions in these locations and Saint Marc, we found 

prosecutors' offices, justices of the peace courts, and other courts to have 

very basic infrastructure. One of the courts that we visited, which serves a 

large population and territory, had two rooms to conduct its business, but 

no doors, windows, bathroom facilities, running water, or electricity. These 

judicial facilities also had serious shortages of equipment and supplies 

needed to conduct business, such as transportation, legal texts, telephones, 

7

 Most of these people are out of prison within 90 days of their detention, according to 

USAID.

8

 Juries are convened only for serious criminal offenses, such as murders.

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