From January 15-17, 2024, INL's Caribbean Anti-Crime Program (CAC), implemented by the National Center for State Courts (NCSC), hosted a 3-day Advanced Trial Advocacy Workshop for the Department of Public Prosecutions (DPP). The workshop was attended by 33 in-person and four virtual participant-prosecutors and was conducted by a team of distinguished U.S. based trial lawyers in partnership with the National Institute for Trial Advocacy (NITA). Over a period of three days, prosecutors increased their trial advocacy skills in a peer-to-peer environment based on a “learning-by-doing” methodology. The workshop consisted of plenary and breakout sessions on various aspects of trial advocacy including direct and cross examination of expert witnesses, introducing forensic evidence, opening, and closing arguments. The training was conducted at the judicial training center, courtesy of the judiciary of Trinidad & Tobago. Participants also utilized courtrooms to develop skills in the use of electronic evidence and to gain actual experience in a courtroom setting.
The training was requested by the DPP and is part of a series of initiatives CAC is conducting to build capacity and increase the effectiveness and efficiency of key justice sector institutions. Recognizing the importance of prosecutors to the justice system, CAC continues to collaborate with the Office of the Attorney General and the DPP on training initiatives.
Opening remarks for the workshop were made by NCSC CAC Project Director JoAnne Richardson, Director of Public Prosecutions Roger Gaspard, S.C., U.S. Embassy INL Director James Snoddy, and NITA Director Doris Cheng. The opening ceremony was also attended by representatives of the Attorney General’s Office. The U.S. faculty experts included prosecutors and defense attorneys – Doris Cheng, William Elward, L.C. Wright Jr., Liz Krupa, and Thomas Darman.
U.S. Experts, INL Director, DPP, and NCSC: Opening Ceremony, January 15, 2024
Workshop Participants and Experts, January 17, 2024
Break-out sessions with workshop participants and experts Tom Darman and L.C. Wright
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