What Happened
Minister of Government Dinoska Montalvo appeared before the National Assembly’s Government Committee on Wednesday, January 28, to answer questions about the rollout of Law 467 and the reorganization of community justice of the peace offices across Panama.
Montalvo said that as of January 1, 2026, all community peace houses, previously known as corregidurías, came under the administration of the Ministry of Government. She described what she found as “a beautiful disaster,” pointing to a system marked by operational and administrative problems.
Among the issues she cited were peace judges who were not lawyers, offices that were closed or in poor condition, and outstanding debts for rent and electricity.
Transition Under Pressure
The minister said she began the year facing a wave of people who had served as peace judges through December 2025 but did not know whether they would remain in office. She also received workers who had been employed in the community peace houses and were then dismissed as part of the transition.
Because community justice could not stop operating, the ministry began making interim appointments for three months with support from the Ministry of Labor. Those appointments have been limited to candidates with legal training who are not affiliated with political parties, after interviews that included roughly 100 questions.
Montalvo said the law requires a general call for official appointments in April.
Questions About Jobs and Access
Lawmakers asked what would happen to the people who lost their positions. The issue has drawn attention because the reform changes both the structure and the staffing rules for a system that has long handled local disputes in communities across the country.
Deputy Janine Prado of the Vamos coalition urged broad promotion of the upcoming call for applicants, arguing that Panama has around 37,000 lawyers and that the process could offer employment opportunities in a country facing high unemployment.
Montalvo also addressed the handling of child support cases, saying those matters have now been transferred to family courts.
What the Reform Changes
Law 467, enacted on April 24, 2025, repealed the legal framework in force since 2016 and created a new Special Jurisdiction for Community Justice of Peace. Under the reform, more than 500 peace judges working in about 700 corregimientos moved out of municipal control and into the administrative orbit of the Ministry of Government.
The law sets a base salary of $1,000 a month for peace judges and requires a law degree, a political science degree, and formal certification from the Supreme Court of Justice.
Montalvo defended the transition, saying that community peace offices are difficult to manage but can help bring order and calm to neighborhoods when properly run.
The overhaul places Panama’s local justice system under new national oversight as authorities work to regularize appointments and stabilize offices that handle everyday disputes in communities across the country.