A Critical Systems Thinking Reflection on the Impact of the Special Jurisdiction for Peace Tribunal (JEP) in Colombia

Abstract

For two months Colombia, one of the ‘strongest democracies’ in Latin America, is under national strike. The levels of violence reported are unprecedented. The initial but questioned optimism of the peace treaty signed in 2016 between the government and the largest and oldest guerrilla group, FARC-EP (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People’s Army), is vanishing quickly. A key role in this situation is played by the Special Jurisdiction for Peace Tribunal- JEP aimed at consolidating the transition towards overcoming conflict.

This paper reflects from a Critical Systems Thinking perspective on the impact of JEP as system from which a “reverse hierarchy of oppression” emerged in Colombian society. It reveals that this special tribunal for justice involved assuming a reductionist approach that generated undesirable outcomes: (a) a weakened justice system (impunity) and (b) a cracked institutionality of the government; overall, a rationale of assuming crime as a form of social justice.