Justice Defenders | 2019 | Trustees’ Annual Report and Auditor’s Report Annual Report Report and financial statements For the year ended 31 December 2019 Defenders of the Defenceless 1 Justice Defenders | 2019 | Trustees’ Annual Report and Auditor’s Report THIS YEAR 91% pass rate by our students studying law with the University of London 300 paralegals working in prisons 1,800 legal awareness sessions 12,000+ prisoners receiving direct legal support from our paralegals 2 Justice Defenders | 2019 | Trustees’ Annual Report and Auditor’s Report CONTENTS Foreword from our founder 4 Objectives and activities 6 Highlights from 2019 8 Our mission 10 FRONT COVER: Pascal Kakuru, former Ugandan Graduate – Our work 12 released in 2019 – attending our Graduation Ceremony, October 2019 Looking ahead 30 BELOW: Paralegals working Langata Women Join us 32 Prison, Kenya 3 Justice Defenders | 2019 | Trustees’ Annual Report and Auditor’s Report FOREWORD FROM OUR FOUNDER For more than 10 years, we’ve been known as the African Prisons Project. Our work began with a handful of people wanting to Alexander McLean see prison communities become FOUNDER & DIRECTOR GENERAL places of transformation, inspired by my gap year experiences in Uganda. We’ve gone on to work with organisations One of the highlights of 2019 was the such as the University of London and the graduation we celebrated in Kamiti Commonwealth Scholarship Commission, Maximum Security Prison, Kenya: 16 as well as Google, The Queen’s Kenyans – graduating students from Commonwealth Trust, the University of 2017–2019 – and Bosco Mawanda, a prison The West of England and many others, to officer from Uganda. Many of them have build a community of legal education and served as paralegals for others, or – like empowerment for prisoners and prison staff. Willis Ochieng – having successfully argued in court for his own release, walked free We hope to work towards a world where no after 20 years. Since then he’s spent some one is punished or imprisoned without being time as a trainee in court procedure and able to tell their side of the story. now works with us in our Legal Practice Team in Kenya. So over the course of the past year, we’ve been working long and hard to reimagine By equipping justice defenders to facilitate our organisation and its mission for the a just legal process – through legal education, years ahead. That means a new name and training, and practice – we help ensure fair renewed purpose for our mission and we hearings for all. And if these defenders can have become Justice Defenders. be unleashed within the justice system, they can serve their communities and strengthen Together, we are working towards a posture the system, helping ensure everyone’s voices of radical inclusion to ensure that the are heard. defenceless become the defenders. This work intentionally includes those who would consider themselves – or may be considered by others – to be outsiders, marginalised, or in conflict with the law. This means offering legal education and training in unlikely places. 4 Justice Defenders | 2019 | Trustees’ Annual Report and Auditor’s Report ABOVE LEFT: Paralegal at Kamiti Prison, Kenya ABOVE: Academy at Kamiti Prison, Kenya LEFT: Students at Kamiti Prison, Kenya WHO WE ARE 5 Justice Defenders | 2019 | Trustees’ Annual Report and Auditor’s Report OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES The Charity’s objectives are to bring justice, dignity and hope to men, women and children in prisons. All its charitable activities focus on the men, The trustees present their report and the women and children in prisons, as well as audited financial statements for the year those who work alongside them, and are ended date. Reference and administrative undertaken to further Justice Defenders information set out on page 3 forms part of charitable purposes for the public benefit. this report. The financial statements comply with current statutory requirements, the The trustees review the aims, objectives memorandum and articles of association and and activities of the charity each year. the Statement of Recommended Practice This report looks at what the charity has – Accounting and Reporting by Charities: achieved and the outcomes of its work in SORP applicable to charities preparing their the reporting period. The trustees report the accounts in accordance with FRS 102. This success of each key activity and the benefits trustees’ annual report includes a directors’ the charity has brought to those groups of report as required by company law. people that it is set up to help. The review also helps the trustees ensure the charity’s aims, objectives and activities remained focused on its stated purposes. The trustees have referred to the guidance contained in the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit when reviewing the charity’s aims and objectives and in planning its future activities. In particular, the trustees consider how planned activities will contribute to the aims and objectives that have been set. RIGHT: Paralegals from Luzira Women’s Prison, Uganda 6 Justice Defenders | 2019 | Trustees’ Annual Report and Auditor’s Report “There are many things that can only be seen through eyes that have cried.” SAINT OSCAR ROMERO 7 Justice Defenders | 2019 | Trustees’ Annual Report and Auditor’s Report HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2019 MARCH International Women’s Day Luzira Women’s Prison, Uganda, FEBRUARY commemorated IWD2019 with Google Impact Challenge participation from prisoners - singing, dancing, sports and In 2018, we were the recipients drama. Guest of Honour Her of the Google Impact Challenge Worship Kabugho Byakutaga (Kenya) out of more than Caroline – Magistrate at Luzira 1,000 applicants. In February, Court, led distinguished guests Google organised an event including Jacqueline Lule, partner in Nairobi, attended by staff at Bowman’s law firm in Kampala, members Morris Kaberia, Dorah Caroline Mafabi from the Rahab Nyawira and Caroline Democratic Governance Facility, Njambi, to discuss our plans for Patricia Atim from the Public 2019, the challenges we face Interest Law Clinic (PILAC) of and the role of technology in Makerere University School of Law, our day to day work. and the Uganda Prisons Service. FEBRUARY MAY World Congress Against Secondment Journey The Death Penalty We welcomed our 2019 Brand Ambassador, Susan Secondees – Fairbain Ombeva, Kigula - former death row Gerald Rintagu and Dorothy prisoner and law graduate Mutemi from Kenya, and - was invited to attend Daniel Nde Tawembe from and speak at the 7th World Cameroon – to the UK. They Congress in Brussels, spent three months meeting alongside activists, ministers senior justice officials, visiting and political representatives, HM Prisons, and meeting where she shared her many of our partners and inspiring story. supporters, as well as learning how to address the many challenges facing our criminal justice system. CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Dr. Florence Banoba, receiving the Google Impact Award on behalf Justice Defenders; Guest of Honour Her Worship Kabugho Byakutaga Caroline; Ugandan teenagers and their family; Patricia McKellar, Associate Director, University of London, visiting our students; European Union Delegation and honoured guests visiting Luzira Prison; 2019 Graduating students; Alexander McLean with Anderson Cooper; Peter Tibigambwa, former Regional Director, with Moot Competition students; 2019 Secondees; and Susan Kigula, Brussels. 8 Justice Defenders | 2019 | Trustees’ Annual Report and Auditor’s Report JUNE NOVEMBER Release of Juveniles AUGUST World Day Against The Summer Exam Results Death Penalty This month saw the significant release of More than 30 students – We hosted a solidarity visit at Luzira several juveniles from prisoners and prison staff Prisons, attended by the Head of Uganda prisons, as a across Kenya and Uganda European Union Delegation to result of our hardworking – sat for their law exams Uganda, ambassadors and deputy paralegals and volunteers. earlier this year, with 24 ambassadors of European Union Without valid legal passing their exams, heads of Mission, a representative documentation, many adding five new law from Ministry of Foreign Affairs children are charged and graduates to our University and staff from the European Union sentenced as adults. of London alumni. delegation to Uganda. JULY OCTOBER OCTOBER Africa’s Moot CBS 60 Minutes Graduation Court Competition We were joined by In a prestigious ceremony at 40 teams participated in Anderson Cooper and the Kamiti Maximum Security this annual event, which in CBS 60 Minutes film crew Prison, Kenya, we celebrated 2019 was organised by the - a US news program - the graduation of 16 Kenyan Centre for Human Rights who interviewed our team students – from the class of and hosted by the Faculty of for a documentary due for 2017, 2018 and summer 2019 – Law, University of Botswana. broadcast in 2020. along with prison officer Bosco For the first time, prison Manda, from Uganda. law students took part from behind bars via livestream. 9 Justice Defenders | 2019 | Trustees’ Annual Report and Auditor’s Report OUR MISSION Defending justice with defenceless communities through legal education, training, and practice. All human beings are born equal in dignity children. They await trial in overcrowded and rights. Some are more vulnerable than and under-resourced prisons, many without others, more at risk of poverty. Others are legal representation. on the margins through unemployment, prejudice, or a crisis of circumstances. Why do we train people in prison rather than But each of us has something valuable simply working to give more people access to contribute. to lawyers? Because we believe “there are many things that can only be seen through So, we’ve been asking, would the world be eyes that have cried.” different if those who’ve experienced conflict with the law became lawyers themselves? By equipping justice defenders to facilitate a What would happen if those in financial just legal process – through legal education, need had access to the same quality of legal training, and practice – we are the ones services as the wealthy? Would our prisons ensuring a fair hearing.