For years, young people living within and around the Luzira Prison Complex had little access to safe learning spaces, mentorship or guidance. That began to change in 2018 when Justice Defenders, in partnership with the Uganda Prisons Service, opened the Luzira Youth Centre inside one of the country’s most densely populated prison environments. For children growing up in the barracks and the surrounding community, including young residents like Jessica who had waited more than a decade for such a place, the Centre became a new starting point. It offers a meeting hall, a library, a counselling room and a multi-sports court, along with health education and support for young people aged fourteen to twenty four. In an area that holds up to seven thousand inmates and one thousand prison officers and their families, the Centre provides a rare and constructive space for learning and development.

Alongside this work, Justice Defenders strengthened access to justice for children held inside the prison system. In 2019, the Legal Aid Clinic at Luzira Maximum Security Prison secured the release of several juveniles who had been unlawfully sentenced as adults. During a Court of Appeal Juvenile Session, three young men were acquitted after the Court confirmed they were under eighteen at the time of the alleged offence and that no incriminating evidence existed. They had already spent more than four years in one of Uganda’s most restrictive facilities. Days earlier, six others were released or granted unconditional bail after it was discovered that documents were missing or sentences had been issued illegally.