UGANDA’S JUSTICE LAW AND ORDER SECTOR - JLOS Innovations Changing the Lives of Ordinary Ugandans H.E. the President of the Republic of Uganda, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni (third from the right) with JLOS stakeholders at the 3rd National Legal Aid Conference in August 2015. Contents Acronyms & Abbreviations Acronyms & Abbreviations 5 ADR Alternative Dispute Resolution Foreword 7 ADC Austrian Development Cooperation A History of JLOS 8 CADER Centre for Arbitration and Dispute Resolution JLOS Achievements at a Glance 9 CBO Community Based Organizations CLOs Community Liaison Officers CSOs Civil Society Organisations 1. Human Rights for All 12 DCC District Chain-Linked Committees Victory over Human Rights Injustice 12 DGF Democratic Governance Facility Access to Justice as a Right for All 15 DPG Development Partners Group DPP Directorate of Public Prosecutions FCC Family and Children’s Court 2. Innovative Judicial Instruments 16 HIV/AIDS Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome Speedy Justice for the Average Ugandan 16 ICRC International Committee of the Red Cross Alternative Dispute Resolution for the Win 19 JC Justice Centers JLOS Justice Law and Order Sector 3. Uganda Prisons Services 20 JSC Judicial Service Commission Grooming Productive Citizens, One Prisoner at a Time 20 LDC Law Development Centre Community Service for the Benefit of the MIA Ministry of Internal Affairs Whole Community 23 MoGLSD Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development MOJCA Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs 4. Maintaining Law and Order 24 OC Officer-in-Charge One Woman Champions a Shared Solution OHCHR Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights for the Whole Community 24 PEAP Poverty Eradication Action Plan Community Policing – Where Police and SARA Scan, Analysis, Respond, and Assess Communities Meet at a Round Table 29 SCP Small Claims Procedure SHS Uganda Shillings SIP Strategic Investment Plan 5. Justice for Children 30 TAT Tax Appeals Tribunal A Nurturing Environment for the Rehabilitation of Vulnerable Children 30 UCE Uganda Certificate of Education JLOS Innovations at the Forefront of Juvenile Justice 33 UHRC Uganda Human Rights Commission ULRC Uganda Law Reform Commission ULS Uganda Law Society UNICEF United Nations Children’s Fund UNFPA United Nations Population Fund UN Women United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women UPF Uganda Police Force UPS Uganda Prisons Service URSB Uganda Registration Services Bureau USA United States of America WONETHA Women’s Organization Network for Human Rights Advocacy Produced by LPLC Consult Uganda, Ltd. for JLOS - the Justice Law and Order Sector in Uganda Financed by the Austrian Development Cooperation (ADC) Design & Layout by: 87 Eighty Seven © 2015 - The Justice, Law and Order Sector (Government of the Republic of Uganda). All Rights Reserved. or 15 years, the and most vulnerable among the Foreword Justice Law and Ugandan population. Order Sector (JLOS) has spearheaded the It is my pleasure therefore promotion of the rule of law to introduce this publication and access to justice for all that highlights some JLOS Ugandans. JLOS has become innovations and interventions synonymous with cutting- that tell of the Sector’s impact edge reforms and innovations over the years. These stories in the justice system, these highlight our demonstrated which can be traced back to pledge to ensure justice for the highly acclaimed Chain- all and JLOS’s contribution to Linked Initiative first launched building a renewed trust in the in 1999. In doing so, the Sector institutions mandated with has driven improvements delivering justice in Uganda. in infrastructure, human Further to that, they provide development and institutional an insight into the ideal future capacity as well as introduced that we envisage for the Sector new ways of delivering justice and for the Ugandan society as and ensuring law and order. far as justice, law and order are concerned. The Sector has driven improvements in While the stories highlighted infrastructure, human development and reflect how far the Sector has institutional capacity as well as introduced come, we are cognizant of the challenge for continuous new ways of delivering justice and ensuring improvement and accept it law and order. with a renewed zeal. JLOS therefore remains dedicated From promoting Community to the creation of a society Policing, a joint effort approach that protects and promotes which allows the Uganda Police fundamental rights, one and the communities within that ensures the respect which they serve to work of law as well as one that together to maintain law and works to build the necessary order, to prioritizing children’s structures to nurture a vibrant cases in courts in an effort for and growing economy for improved juvenile justice, to Uganda. As we work more improving the environment closely with our partners in for doing business through Government, civil society, the commercial justice reforms, international community and the Sector has undoubtedly with Ugandans from all walks of impacted the lives of many life, we look forward to greater Ugandans. JLOS is committed achievements in the years to Bart M. Katureebe to concretizing these efforts come. CHIEF JUSTICE especially to serve the poorest 6 7 JLOS Development Partners A History of JLOS Over the years, JLOS has benefitted Launched in 1999, the Justice, Law and Order Sector (JLOS) from the generous support of a number initially brought together ten public institutions jointly focused on of Development Partners through a improving access to justice for all persons in Uganda. combination of sector budget and project support. To foster coordination among the Development Partners and to keep pace with JLOS developments, they his was to be done by the second Strategic Investment meet once every month under the JLOS through coordinated and Plan (SIP II 2006/07 – 2012/13) and the Development Partners Group (JLOS evidence based sector- Sector’s third Strategic Investment Plan DPG) which comprises Austria, Denmark, wide policy formulation, (SIP III 2012/13 - 2016/17) is currently DGF, Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden, Institutions planning and resource running. SIP III is focused on the the European Union, the United Kingdom have over the application. Hinged on the national promotion of the rule of law by increasing OHCHR, UNICEF, UNFPA, UN Women, years worked Tgoal of poverty eradication and private public confidence and trust in the justice ICRC and USA. together to sector development under the Poverty system as well as user satisfaction with implement a Eradication Action Plan (PEAP), the the services offered by the sector. The JLOS DPG frequently meets with sector-wide Sector identified two corresponding the JLOS Secretariat and with individual approach to priority areas for reform - criminal JLOS Institutions institutions and together they conduct administering and commercial justice. Within these joint reviews and monitoring visits. justice, broad areas, JLOS sought to make • Ministry of Justice and Constitutional maintaining law and order improvements in law reform, access Affairs This JLOS DPG maintains linkages and promoting to justice, system efficiency and • Centre for Arbitration and Dispute with the broader development human rights. effectiveness, and in the quality of justice Resolution partners’ community through the local delivery. • Directorate of Citizenship and Development Partners Group. Immigration Control In doing this, these initial ten institutions • Directorate of Public Prosecutions have over the years been joined by • Judicial Service Commission seven more who now work together to • Judiciary implement a sector-wide approach to • Law Development Centre administering justice, maintaining law • Ministry of Gender, Labor and Social and order and promoting human rights. Development In engaging a sector wide approach • Ministry of Internal Affairs to planning, budgeting, programme • Ministry of Local Government implementation, monitoring and • Tax Appeals Tribunal evaluation, these institutions have • Uganda Human Rights Commission been equipped to adopt an all-inclusive • Uganda Law Society approach to improving access to and • Uganda Law Reform Commission administration of justice. • Uganda Police Force • Uganda Prisons Service In its implementation, JLOS started off • Uganda Registration Services Bureau with a Strategic Investment Plan (SIP 2001 – 2005/06). This was then followed 8 9 JLOS Achievements at a Glance National Coverage of access to JLOS services, the JLOS Services number of districts with a Responding to the need to functional chain of frontline deepen sector functional JLOS service points now stands presence and ensure that at 84, representing a 75% vulnerable people have easier district coverage. Judicial System Access to Justice Prison Services By June 2014, the sector had Uganda Prisons Service (UPS) By 2014, an impressive 62.7% registered a 90% disposal rate under JLOS has registered elimination of the infamous of registered cases and 41.4% of improvements in access to night bucket system (prisoners the total number of cases in the justice for prisoners with 100% excrete in a bucket that they system. of them attending court as empty in turns) had been scheduled. registered. In 2015, 28 prisons still used the night bucket system, which is nevertheless a significant improvement from 2006 when 150 prisons used the system. Following concerted efforts at prison rehabilitation, Law and Order Human Rights