On September 8-9, 2016, the United States Embassy in Podgorica, in cooperation with the Centre for Training of the Judiciary and the Prosecution (CTJP), hosted a two-day Conference on Plea Bargaining. Ambassador Margaret Ann Uyehara and President of the Executive Board of the CTJP Senka Danilovic spoke at the opening of the conference in Budva on September 8.
The aim of the conference was to encourage the use of plea bargaining as an alternative way to conclude cases. Judges, prosecutors and defense attorneys had an opportunity to discuss the advantages of plea bargaining with their colleagues and regional and U.S. experts, as well as to hear experiences and receive practical advice on the use of plea bargaining from the Resident Legal Advisor Erik Larson, Judge Richard Gebelein from the State of Delaware, Assistant Attorney General from the State of Montana Ben Reed, and U.S. Defense Attorney from the State of California Adam Gasner.
During the conference, participants had an opportunity to engage in practical exercises- simulations of plea bargains in an effort to better understand its use in practice. The simulation was led by experts from U.S, BiH and Montenegro.
