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Regardless of who you are, where you've been, what you've done or what's been done to you, we will welcome you and we will defend you.
Hear Alexander McLean’s reflection on the year (filmed December 2022).
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In many countries, suspects are detained in prison almost automatically once they are arrested. Whatever the offence. Some, yes, are guilty. Many are poor, vulnerable, and unjustly targeted. Regardless, lives are lost waiting for justice to arrive.
In Kenya, people with mental health problems convicted of a crime have been incarcerated at the President’s pleasure; meaning the defendant does not have a defined sentence. Armed with legal knowledge, our paralegals petitioned the Kenyan High Court, challenging the treatment of people with mental illness. In February, High Court Judge Justice Anthony Mrima ruled in favour of our petition.
“If we get sentencing wrong, then I don't think we're able to get anything else right. So I'm behind Justice Defenders one hundred per cent – in the mental health issues and your petitions, those petitions are groundbreaking.”
– AbdulQadir Lorot. Chief Magistrate and Chair of the Court Users Committee at the National Council Administration of Justice, Kenya.
We aren’t naive about the crimes people have committed. We’re supporting the judiciary to follow due process. Ensuring that each defendant can effectively engage at their hearing and that judges are able to decide just sentences.
Mandatory minimum sentences for sexual offences in Kenya meant judges had no power for discretion when sentencing. Through our paralegals’ work to reform the criminal justice system, judges will now be able to use their discretion to sentence people convicted of sexual offences. Sentences can now be proportional, fair and offer the best opportunity for rehabilitation.
“Together we are ensuring that those who are guilty are taken through the entire justice system in a just, procedural and fair way. Most importantly, together we help ensure that no innocent party has been convicted for an offence he did not commit.”
– Hon. Ashiambo Ualerie Emelsa, Magistrate at Thika Court, Kenya.
When we remove our bias against impoverished and incarcerated people we see untapped potential behind prison walls; leadership skills in the prison staff room; determination hidden on death row; and the power of justice defenders within every defenceless community.
In 2022, we facilitated 43,100 virtual court attendances. This wouldn’t be possible without our unlikely allies, the judiciary and prisons supporting us to implement digital forms of justice throughout and beyond the Covid-19 pandemic. By bringing together paralegals - both incarcerated people and prison officers - with prosecutors, the police, judges, experienced lawyers, and academics, we’re creating remarkable possibilities for good.
“With this legal training, the relationship has changed in the sense that we have to work hand in hand. They [prison officers] need our support in as much as we need their help for clients' cases… It is really smooth because we all have a common goal.”
– Paralegal Hellen Nayiga (left), Luzira Women's Prison, Uganda.
In many countries, suspects are detained in prison almost automatically once they are arrested. Whatever the offence. Some, yes, are guilty. Many are poor, vulnerable, and unjustly targeted. Regardless, lives are lost waiting for justice to arrive.
In Kenya, people with mental health problems convicted of a crime have been incarcerated at the President’s pleasure; meaning the defendant does not have a defined sentence. Armed with legal knowledge, our paralegals petitioned the Kenyan High Court, challenging the treatment of people with mental illness. In February, High Court Judge Justice Anthony Mrima ruled in favour of our petition.
“If we get sentencing wrong, then I don't think we're able to get anything else right. So I'm behind Justice Defenders one hundred per cent – in the mental health issues and your petitions, those petitions are groundbreaking.”
– AbdulQadir Lorot. Chief Magistrate and Chair of the Court Users Committee at the National Council Administration of Justice, Kenya.
When we remove our bias against impoverished and incarcerated people we see untapped potential behind prison walls; leadership skills in the prison staff room; determination hidden on death row; and the power of justice defenders within every defenceless community.
In 2022, we facilitated 43,100 virtual court attendances. This wouldn’t be possible without our unlikely allies, the judiciary and prisons supporting us to implement digital forms of justice throughout and beyond the Covid-19 pandemic. By bringing together paralegals - both incarcerated people and prison officers - with prosecutors, the police, judges, experienced lawyers, and academics, we’re creating remarkable possibilities for good.
“With this legal training, the relationship has changed in the sense that we have to work hand in hand. They [prison officers] need our support in as much as we need their help for clients' cases… It is really smooth because we all have a common goal.”
– Paralegal Hellen Nayiga (left), Luzira Women's Prison, Uganda.
We aren’t naive about the crimes people have committed. We’re supporting the judiciary to follow due process. Ensuring that each defendant can effectively engage at their hearing and that judges are able to decide just sentences.
Mandatory minimum sentences for sexual offences in Kenya meant judges had no power for discretion when sentencing. Through our paralegals’ work to reform the criminal justice system, judges will now be able to use their discretion to sentence people convicted of sexual offences. Sentences can now be proportional, fair and offer the best opportunity for rehabilitation.
“Together we are ensuring that those who are guilty are taken through the entire justice system in a just, procedural and fair way. Most importantly, together we help ensure that no innocent party has been convicted for an offence he did not commit.”
– Hon. Ashiambo Ualerie Emelsa, Magistrate at Thika Court, Kenya.
We courageously act for a new and better world.
We seek to do what hasn’t been done before, or that which we haven’t done before. We intentionally reach into the painful lives of others, from the frailty inside ourselves, to offer a helping hand. We act bravely, take risks, and move forward to a preferred future. One where justice is accessible, reliable, and can be practised best by those who need it most.
“After spending 4,075 days in prison, I knew we needed to create true change. And we've done it.”
– Isaac Ndegwa Kimaru, formerly incarcerated University of London law graduate, petitioner, and now Justice Defenders Legal Officer.
We are working towards a posture of radical inclusion to ensure that the defenceless become the defenders. So 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. If these defenders can be unleashed within the justice system, they can serve the community and strengthen the system, ensuring a fair hearing for all.
In Nairobi, we opened Makadara Legal Office. Under the leadership of qualified advocates, formerly incarcerated paralegals prepare clients for self-representation and draft and file court submissions. Ensuring people not only released on bail have access to quality, free legal services, but anyone with a criminal justice need in the whole of Nairobi. Provided by the people who understand justice best.
Who would imagine prison officers going to court to advocate for incarcerated people and win them their freedom? Or police officers providing legal services to people who have gotten on the wrong side of the law? While we focus our work on the criminal justice system, we’re not doing this work alone.
Now formally registered in The Gambia, we’ve expand into every prison in the country. At the invitation of the judiciary, we’ve established a legal office in the court building in the capital Banjul to facilitate a smoother judicial journey for defendants. At police stations, we found that many civil matters were treated as criminal matters. Because many defendants lack knowledge of the law, many entered a guilty plea. Fortunately, having heard the impact of our work, the Assistant Inspector General of Police reached out to us to work in partnership. We hope to design a programme together that best serves detainees.
"Seeing officers and inmates working together to serve their community is a real example of social cohesion and dedication."
– Dr. Saikou K. Gasssama, Executive Secretary of National Human Rights Commission, The Gambia.
The education offered to people in prison should be of a similar standard to that offered to those who make laws and send people to prison. Because ultimately we want to move our defenders from those who’ve been in conflict with the law to the ones making and implementing it.
We have a total of 59 graduates from the University of London Law degree course. Now, we’re further democratising access to higher legal education. To improve the quality of our legal services, we've partnered with local universities to offer accredited qualifications in paralegalism. In October we welcomed the first cohort of 40 students who enrolled in a year-long course in paralegal studies delivered by Justice Defenders, in partnership with Strathmore University in Kenya.
We are demonstrating a radical model of community building and urgent change within the criminal justice system. Our approach is people-centred, affordable, adaptable, collaborative, and sustainable. It provides the most vulnerable with the protection of the law. It reframes ‘defenceless communities’ as defenders, advising on criminal law, and helping shape the law to come. It is relieving pressure in the criminal justice system where it is most felt, whilst strengthening society as a whole.
93% of clients ‘agreed’ or ‘strongly agreed’ that the legal support they received allowed the court to give them a fairer hearing, in comparison to if they had received no legal support. Independent evaluation of Justice Defenders' Legal Education Programme by Justice Studio in July 2021.
We are working towards a posture of radical inclusion to ensure that the defenceless become the defenders. So 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. If these defenders can be unleashed within the justice system, they can serve the community and strengthen the system, ensuring a fair hearing for all.
In Nairobi, we opened Makadara Legal Office. Under the leadership of qualified advocates, formerly incarcerated paralegals prepare clients for self-representation and draft and file court submissions. Ensuring people not only released on bail have access to quality, free legal services, but anyone with a criminal justice need in the whole of Nairobi. Provided by the people who understand justice best.
Who would imagine prison officers going to court to advocate for incarcerated people and win them their freedom? Or police officers providing legal services to people who have gotten on the wrong side of the law? While we focus our work on the criminal justice system, we’re not doing this work alone.
Now formally registered in The Gambia, we’ve expand into every prison in the country. At the invitation of the judiciary, we’ve established a legal office in the court building in the capital Banjul to facilitate a smoother judicial journey for defendants. At police stations, we found that many civil matters were treated as criminal matters. Because many defendants lack knowledge of the law, many entered a guilty plea. Fortunately, having heard the impact of our work, the Assistant Inspector General of Police reached out to us to work in partnership. We hope to design a programme together that best serves detainees.
"Seeing officers and inmates working together to serve their community is a real example of social cohesion and dedication."
– Dr. Saikou K. Gasssama, Executive Secretary of National Human Rights Commission, The Gambia.
The education offered to people in prison should be of a similar standard to that offered to those who make laws and send people to prison. Because ultimately we want to move our defenders from those who’ve been in conflict with the law to the ones making and implementing it.
We have a total of 59 graduates from the University of London Law degree course. Now, we’re further democratising access to higher legal education. To improve the quality of our legal services, we've partnered with local universities to offer accredited qualifications in paralegalism. In October we welcomed the first cohort of 40 students who enrolled in a year-long course in paralegal studies delivered by Justice Defenders, in partnership with Strathmore University in Kenya.
We are demonstrating a radical model of community building and urgent change within the criminal justice system. Our approach is people-centred, affordable, adaptable, collaborative, and sustainable. It provides the most vulnerable with the protection of the law. It reframes ‘defenceless communities’ as defenders, advising on criminal law, and helping shape the law to come. It is relieving pressure in the criminal justice system where it is most felt, whilst strengthening society as a whole.
93% of clients ‘agreed’ or ‘strongly agreed’ that the legal support they received allowed the court to give them a fairer hearing, in comparison to if they had received no legal support. Independent evaluation of Justice Defenders' Legal Education Programme by Justice Studio in July 2021.
We are working towards a posture of radical inclusion to ensure that the defenceless become the defenders. So 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. If these defenders can be unleashed within the justice system, they can serve the community and strengthen the system, ensuring a fair hearing for all.
In Nairobi, we opened Makadara Legal Office. Under the leadership of qualified advocates, formerly incarcerated paralegals prepare clients for self-representation and draft and file court submissions. Ensuring people not only released on bail have access to quality, free legal services, but anyone with a criminal justice need in the whole of Nairobi. Provided by the people who understand justice best.
Who would imagine prison officers going to court to advocate for incarcerated people and win them their freedom? Or police officers providing legal services to people who have gotten on the wrong side of the law? While we focus our work on the criminal justice system, we’re not doing this work alone.
Now formally registered in The Gambia, we’ve expanded into every prison in the country. At the invitation of the judiciary, we’ve established a legal office in the court building in the capital Banjul to facilitate a smoother judicial journey for defendants. At police stations, we found that many civil matters were treated as criminal matters. Because many defendants lack knowledge of the law, many entered a guilty plea. Fortunately, having heard the impact of our work, the Assistant Inspector General of Police reached out to us to work in partnership. We hope to design a programme together that best serves detainees.
"Seeing officers and inmates working together to serve their community is a real example of social cohesion and dedication."
– Dr. Saikou K. Gasssama, Executive Secretary of National Human Rights Commission, The Gambia.
The education offered to people in prison should be of a similar standard to that offered to those who make laws and send people to prison. Because ultimately we want to move our defenders from those who’ve been in conflict with the law to the ones making and implementing it.
We have a total of 59 graduates from the University of London Law degree course. Now, we’re further democratising access to higher legal education. To improve the quality of our legal services, we've partnered with local universities to offer accredited qualifications in paralegalism. In October we welcomed the first cohort of 40 students who enrolled in a year-long course in paralegal studies delivered by Justice Defenders, in partnership with Strathmore University in Kenya.
We are demonstrating a radical model of community building and urgent change within the criminal justice system. Our approach is people-centred, affordable, adaptable, collaborative, and sustainable. It provides the most vulnerable with the protection of the law. It reframes ‘defenceless communities’ as defenders, advising on criminal law, and helping shape the law to come. It is relieving pressure in the criminal justice system where it is most felt, whilst strengthening society as a whole.
93% of clients ‘agreed’ or ‘strongly agreed’ that the legal support they received allowed the court to give them a fairer hearing, in comparison to if they had received no legal support. Independent evaluation of Justice Defenders' Legal Education Programme by Justice Studio in July 2021.
We’re servants, sinners, and saints.
We aspire to be servant lawyers. We recognise that the law can help us gain power, status, and wealth. But we choose to give away some of those things, so we may step towards those on the margins of society. Some of us are in prison. Some of us are free. We have very little to offer but everything to give.
“I’ve attained my bachelor’s degree in law and with this degree, I’ve managed to transform lives. It’s one of those things that made me validate myself. To know, I can become better, I can go somewhere even after all of this.”
– University of London graduate and paralegal Phionah Namubiru.
Significant investments.
Sizeable multiple-year commitments from our closest supporters, coupled with an investment from MacKenzie Scott, meant our income more than doubled from the previous year. These gifts have made us bolder; we reject the old proverb that beggars can't be choosers. People in conflict with the law deserve excellent legal services and training. Together with our supporters, we want to see them be the ones making and implementing the law. Lawyers, judges, academics, business people, and politicians. That’s why we’re advancing our model and delivering our work as a law firm and legal college, focused on excellence while working with humility, bravery and solidarity.
Key hires.
In 2022, we focused on strengthening our operations to support our talented legal team to flourish. We welcomed a Chief Development and Communications Officer and three directors to lead our HR, Finance and IT functions. With new defenders bringing broad expertise and experience, our departments will support us as we expand the delivery of our legal services.
Expanding our unlikely community.
Our mission is to deliver world-class legal practice with, from, and for defenceless communities inside and outside of prisons. Whilst we focus our work on the criminal justice system, we’re not doing this work alone.
We are intentionally inclusive, reaching towards those who are most often silent, excluded, or powerless. We are seeking allies out of adversaries, who will drive us forward with the hope of a better future, without being limited by our past.
“When I just joined Uganda Prison Service, I thought my work would only be limited to holding the gun, but with Justice Defenders' work, I am now able to guide inmates in their legal matters.”
– Daniel Emuget, paralegal prison officer at Luzira Upper Prison, celebrates on the day of Patrick Mokoha's release. Patrick (left) hands over a client's case to Ismail Mutebi (right).
Amount raised: $6,288,746
Individual donations: $4,172,491
Corporate and trusts: $1,928,201
Gifts in kind: $184,479
Interest received: $3,574
*
Programmes: $2,744,682 (88%)
Raising funds: $326,409 (12%)
*
* Figures in USD. We do not anticipate any significant changes to the figures but await our 2022 audit.
Cumulative clients served.
USDs per client served.
** We do not anticipate any significant changes to the figures but await our 2021 audit.
Toby Brown
Purdey Castle
Trevor Dighton
James Holt
Rich Hoops
Alexander McLean
Sally Cook
George Daly
Trevor Dighton
David Hollow
Tim Johnston
Anne Merriman
Luis Franceschi
Pauline Skaper
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