Participants of the delegation with the President of the Federal Court of Justice, Bettina Limperg (1st row, 3rd from left) and His Excellency Judge Mohammad Al Ghazo, President of the Jordanian Court of Cassation and President of the Jordanian Judicial Council (1st row, 3rd from right) during the visit to the Federal Court of Justice. Jordan
In cooperation with USAID and the Jordanian Judicial Council, IRZ conducted a study trip from 22 to 26 April 2024 on the topic of ‘Exchange of experience on revision procedures and the digitalisation of the judiciary’ - led by His Excellency Judge Mohammad Al Ghazo, President of the Jordanian Court of Cassation and President of the Jordanian Judicial Council.
The delegation visited the Ministry of Justice and Migration of Baden-Württemberg as well as the Federal Supreme Court and the Federal Constitutional Court, among others, where current initiatives and challenges in the field of justice administration as well as the enforcement and application of alternative penal sanctions were discussed.
The delegation participants and representatives of the courts and the ministry reported on their experiences with the legal framework for appeal proceedings, the challenges and opportunities of digitalisation in the justice system and the practical implementation of digital processes and technologies. The diversity of the issues and legal questions illustrated the complexity of the topics and the associated opportunities and challenges for the judiciary.
The study trip was an important step towards an efficient and modern judicial system and helped to strengthen cooperation and the bilateral exchange of experience between the participating institutions.
Working group meeting in Amman: Digitalisation efforts within criminal proceedings and evaluation of the project with participants from the Jordanian Ministry of Justice and Judicial Council. Jordan
The last working group meeting was held on 5 and 6 December 2023 in Amman, marking the conclusion of the Federal Foreign Office-funded project "Promoting legal certainty: Supporting criminal law reforms in Jordan (2020-2023)".
The focus of the first day of the seminar was on the digitalisation efforts of the Jordanian judiciary to increase the efficiency of Jordanian criminal proceedings.
Electronic criminal file, artificial intelligence
The German working group of the project presented the efforts of the judiciary to digitalise its investigative work and its practical implementation in Germany. The focus here was on electronic criminal files and the use of artificial intelligence. They discussed how the latter can be used in criminal proceedings in order to achieve an increase in efficiency in court proceedings, for example in the case of class actions with similar or identical facts.
Digital documentation in criminal proceedings
The speakers also discussed the digital documentation of the main criminal trial and current developments in the German draft of a main trial documentation law.
Mizan" system
The Jordanian speakers presented the current status of the digitalisation of their criminal proceedings and explained the "Mizan" system. This is a digital platform with which members of the judiciary can work and which is intended to speed up court proceedings.
Review of the project results
The second day of the working group meeting was dedicated to evaluating project implementation since 2020. The final recommendations of the German experts were made on the basis of international comparative law standards and taking into account the needs formulated by the Jordanian cooperation partners and participants.
Participants in the seminar on juvenile detention held in November 2023. Jordan
The IRZ and the Jordanian Directorate of Public Security organised a seminar in Amman on 6 November 2023 on how to deal with detainees who are minors, and how to implement an effective penitentiary planning system. The event was funded by the Federal Ministry of Justice within the framework of institutional support.
The Jordanian experts spoke, among others, on the topics of “Penalties in the Jordanian juvenile justice system” and “Transfer of persons from juvenile to adult penitentiary systems”. Jordan has courts, judges and prosecutors specifically for juveniles. If a suspended sentence is handed down, a report must be submitted to the court every three months. Jordanian juvenile criminal law places a particular focus on mediation to resolve conflicts. The speakers also addressed these aspects. The German team of experts presented the juvenile sentences in accordance with the German Youth Courts of Justice Law, and discussed the transfer of persons from juvenile to adult penitentiary systems in Germany. The German contingent also presented the structuring and creation of an enforcement and integration plan within the framework of the juvenile penitentiary system and the function of the juvenile court and probation service in Germany.
The participants discussed how the probation service deals with juvenile, violent perpetrators and juvenile addicts, and the differences that arise from the age limit of the juvenile penitentiary under German and Jordanian law, and also exchanged views on the similarities between the two systems. These include a focus on education and the importance of reintegration into society. Both of these aspects have a high priority in both the Jordanian and German juvenile penitentiary systems.
