Mapping international knowledge transfer: Latvian-Canadian cooperation in criminal justice reform

The ‘Mapping International Knowledge Transfer: Latvian-Canadian Cooperation in Criminal Justice Reform’ project provides insight and comparative analysis of the perceptions of Latvian participants on the role, development and delivery of specific training resources presented as part of the Latvia Legal Reform Project (LLRP). The LLRP was managed by the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC) and jointly funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and the Latvian Ministry of Justice from 2002-2004. Through an innovative, exploratory mixed methodology involving a multi-stage data collection process, concept mapping was used to gather evidence and capture experience and frame additional interviews among fourteen (14) research participants. This project considers the apparent dichotomy within the organizational change literature between sharing specific training tools and the development of individual capacity to pursue reform through local innovation. Building on past Canadian studies, this study contributes to emerging knowledge transfer scholarship and considers the potential of legal technical assistance projects to model democratic values. Participants identified the value of process related variables such as interactive training, study tours and project delivery, along with training tools related to supervision and assessment of Probation clients and overall system reform.