Afghanistan: U.S. Rule of Law and Justice Sector Assistance
"Developing effective Afghan justice sector institutions is considered by many observers to be
essential in winning the support of the Afghan population, improving the Afghan government’s
credibility and legitimacy, and reducing support for insurgent factions. Such sentiments are
reinforced in the face of growing awareness of the pervasiveness of Afghan corruption. To this
end, establishing the rule of law (ROL) in Afghanistan has become a priority in U.S. strategy for
Afghanistan and an issue of interest to Congress. Numerous U.S. programs to promote ROL are
in various stages of implementation and receive ongoing funding and oversight from Congress.
Major programs include the following:

• State Department’s Justice Sector Support Program (JSSP) and Corrections
System Support Program (CSSP);

• U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID’s) formal and informal
ROL stabilization programs (RLS);

• Justice Department’s (DOJ’s) Senior Federal Prosecutors Program, which, with
State Department funds, provides legal mentoring and training; and

• Defense Department’s (DOD’s) operational support through Combined Joint
Task Force 101 (CJTF-101), as well as through Combined Joint Interagency Task
Force 435 (CJIATF-435)..."