Contributions of the Local Justice Systems to the Construction of a Culture of Peace. The Case of Kennedy (Bogotá)

Abstract

The article presents an analysis of the contributions of the implementation of the local justice systems (slj) to the construction of a peace culture, addressing the case of the Kennedy (Bogotá). It is based on the understanding of slj as a tool to identify the fundamental right of access to justice and its relationship with the construction of a peace culture. The main findings allow concluding that slj has contributed to the training of justice operators and in the creation of routes and spaces for articulation between actors of formal and community justice, contributing to combat operational barriers and strengthening participatory democracy. In the same way, they are identified as the main challenges for the success of the policy, which implies its continuity and systematic processes. It, in turn, means converting it into a state policy, preventing it from being at the mercy of the political will, the institutional articulation, the awareness and continuous training of justice operators, and the inclusion of community actors, which would imply the democratization of the administration of justice.