On March 27th, 2014 member organizations of the Steering Committee of the Regional Network for Pre-Trial Justice, convened by the Open Society Justice Initiative ( OSJI ) and the Due Process of Law Foundation ( DPLF )(both members of the Network) met in Washington DC to analyze the next steps for this coalition of organizations and define strategies for monitoring implementation of the recommendations in the "Report on the use of Pre-Trial detention in the Americas" published by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR). The Network identified as one of its priorities promoting the compliance of the Report’s recommendations by the States of the region.
Commissioner James L. Cavallaro, who is also the Rapporteur for the rights of persons deprived of liberty at the IACHR, was invited to participate in the meeting. The Network offered support to complement the work of the Rapporteur on the dissemination of the aforementioned report and encourage the implementation of the recommendations. The Network is especially interested in promoting the recommendations related to: public security policies that encourage greater use of detention as a response to alleged crime, laws that prescribe preventive detention for a range of offenses, the need to promote wider application of alternative measures and efficient monitoring, the production of detailed information on the use of preventive detention and strengthening independence of judicial officers in charge of implementing pre-trial detention. The Network also advised the Rapporteur to promote dialogues with OAS Member States on the rational use of preventive detention and other standards. Commissioner Cavallaro expressed his appreciation to the Network for suggesting and identifying possible priorities for his agenda in the region.
Prior to this meeting (on May 26th and 27th), the Network met with OAS Member State representatives to propose the adoption of a resolution on pretrial detention at the next OAS General Assembly to be held in Asuncion, Paraguay in June 2014. The idea of the resolution was for States to renew their commitment and willingness to adhere to the Inter-American standards on pre-trial detention.