Spring 2005
POLICE EDUCATION TO INCLUDE RULE OF LAW
NSIC has launched a new initiative to pilot, evaluate, and institutionalize rule of law education for police through their academies. The goal is to embed rule of law education in police education at all levels, from entry-level cadets to officers. At present, very few police training programs teach about the rule of law.
This unique educational program builds knowledge about the rule of law, develops supportive attitudes, and enhances skills to help police follow and foster the rule of law. No similar program exists anywhere.
Through better understanding, adoption and integration of the principles of rule of law – treating citizens more fairly, equally, and with respect and dignity - police will be able to improve their interaction and relationship within their communities, gain their trust, and enhance public security.
NSIC has now begun cooperating with the Colombian National Police and the Mexican Directors of Public Security in Baja (Mexicali) and Sinaloa (Culiacan) to develop two 60-hour courses for entry-level cadets and officers. If effective, these programs will be incorporated into police education programs in countries where COL education is already established in schools and other sectors.
Senior police officials from several major US cities and academic police specialists are collaborating with NSIC in a Working Group to design these new educational programs for current and future law enforcement officials.
ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES (OAS)
The National Strategy Information Center’s Culture of Lawfulness project and the OAS, are planning to develop Culture of Lawfulness programs over the next 3 to 5 years for countries in the Americas. The initial focus will be on school-based education in the Caribbean and Central America.
NSIC will assist with planning and developing a COL program capacity, and establishing the school program in several countries in the Americas. NSIC also plans to help identify opportunities to engage other sectors, such as the media and police, in culture of lawfulness initiatives, and begin to prepare the OAS to follow up in other countries in the Hemisphere.
POSITIVE EVALUATION IN SINALOA SCHOOL PROGRAM
Culture of Legality education in Sinaloa schools positively changed children’s knowledge of and attitudes towards the rule of law. This is the conclusion of a team of experts who evaluated three thousand 9th grade secundaria students taking the year long course in 2003-2004. For example:
o Students became significantly more likely to believe that they are able to influence the events that affect them, rather than relegating their fate to external factors beyond their own control.
o Students were much more likely to understand concepts such as free will and self esteem that provide the foundation for their own participation in and pursuit of a culture of lawfulness.
o With respect to law enforcement, only one third of the students rated the police as doing a ‘good’ or ‘very good’ job. More than half (55 percent) felt that police favored some people over others. However, more than 82 percent reported that they would support the police if the police themselves followed the rule of law.
Beyond the numbers in the evaluation is the development of enthusiastic proponents of the rule of law among children, parents, teachers, and other members of the community. This positive public response provides stimulus for Sinaloan officials to sustain a statewide initiative using education to support the rule of law.
The results are remarkable given the difficult environment. The northwestern state of Sinaloa is part of a critical narcotrafficking zone and public perceptions of insecurity are high. Almost three quarters of students said they feared their journey to and from school. This is the third positive evaluation of the culture of lawfulness school curriculum in Mexico.
IN BRIEF:
◊Mexico: FLACSO, (La Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales) one of the premiere graduate schools in Mexico and Latin America, has completed the first running of its new graduate specialty in the Culture of Lawfulness. Dr. Roy Godson, director of the COL project, spoke at the last meeting of graduating students in January.
◊Lebanon: Two workshops to reinforce the rule of law component of the Lebanese civic education program were held in Beirut in December 2004 and in February 2005. The Educational Directorate of the Makassed Philanthropic Islamic Association and the General Secretariat of Catholic Schools were the sponsors. A joint endeavor between public and private school leaders and civil society, the initiative aims to produce a set of teaching materials and a training program to help teachers make the rule of law more meaningful to their students.
Beirut, Lebanon: A second Culture of Lawfulness workshop for Lebanese educators was held in Beirut in February. Front row, from left: Dr. James Finckenauer, COL Curriculum Specialist; Margaret Litvin, COL Middle East Coordinator; Georges Naameh, Director-General of the Lebanese Ministry of Education; Father Marwan Tabet, Secretary-General of Catholic Schools in Lebanon; Dr. Kamel Dallal, Director of Education, Makassed Philanthropic Islamic Association; Michel Badr, Director of Civic Education Division, and Hanna Awkar, Director of Teacher Development, both of the Lebanese Ministry of Education.
◊El Salvador: The school-based program has expanded to 45 additional schools in areas where students are at high risk of becoming involved with gangs, including the notorious Mara Salvatrucha. US officials estimate that this group, also known as MS-13, has approximately 10,000 members in the United States. It is amongst the largest and most violent street gangs.
◊US Under Secretary of State Dr. Paula Dobriansky called fostering a culture of lawfulness a policy priority of the US government and expressed strong support for NSIC’s COL project in an address at Georgetown University last fall. She highlighted the relationship between democracy and the rule of law, observing that a sustained commitment will help reduce terrorism by denying terrorists support and shelter from society. The full text is available at http://www.state.gov/g/rls/rm/2004/37196.htm
Visit our New Website
Our new website www.cultureoflawfulness.org is now online. We welcome your suggestions for additions and improvements.
culture of lawfulness update is published by the National Strategy Information Center (NSIC) and reports on the progress of projects in the United States and abroad.
For further information contact us at:
1730 Rhode Island Avenue, NW, Suite 500, Washington, DC 20036
Tel: (202) 429-0129 Fax: (202) 659-5429 www.cultureoflawfulness.org
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