This paper presents the results of the research project “The Effectiveness of Judicial Contempt Power in Writ of Protection Cases. A Case Study, Bogotá (2007)”. Its purpose is to identify and analyze the variables that influence the effectiveness of contempt requests in terms of the satisfaction of fundamental rights. In order to do so, the research intended to have a quantitative approach with exploratory boundar- ies. The project examined a total of 431 files in criminal, civil, administrative, labor and family courts in Bogota in 2007. The study shows an overview of ineffectiveness of the legal instrument and the need for its reform, together with the development of new tools to promote compliance based on different theoretical perspectives.