All Updates

S&B – Alexander McLean is not a normal son
In the early years of Alexander McLean’s life, while he was volunteering at a hospice in Uganda, building a prison library in Kenya and founding a charity that has now helped thousands of people across four African countries, his father asked him a question: “Why can’t you just be a normal son?” McLean is still not normal.
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PR Newswire – 2020 Wise Awards Winners Announced
WISE, an initiative of Qatar Foundation (QF), has announced the winners of the 2020 WISE Awards, recognizing and promoting six innovative projects from across the world that address global educational challenges.
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News Break – Alexander McLean named 2020 Grinnell Prize recipient
President Anne Harris announced on Wednesday that Alexander McLean, the founder and director general of international nonprofit organization Justice Defenders, has won the 2020 Grinnell College Innovator for Social Justice Prize.
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The Sunday Times – The story of the Londoner bringing justice to East Africa
Justice Defenders enlists lawyers, prison officers, judges and British universities to provide legal training to inmates — some barely educated — so they can become their own advocates.
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Tuko – Kamiti Prison: 10 inmates graduate with law degrees
At least 17 inmates, police officers and former convicts graduated from the Kamiti Maximum Prison in Nairobi with law degrees from the University of London on Thursday, October 31.
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The Spectator – Why former prisoners make the best lawyers
Having set up a UK charity, McLean persuaded authorities in Uganda and later Kenya’s Kamiti Maximum Security prison to let him support bright prisoners, and also their warders, to study for London university’s distance-learning law degree.
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Forbes – Our world becomes rich when we don't write people off
In this Q&A, McLean talks about the project’s work, the loneliness of leadership and what we can learn from those living in poverty.
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Morris Kaberia’s visit to South Africa (INN)
The was a gathering of individuals and organisations representing the work of justice reform, from around the world. Read more about his experience.
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First impressions of life in prison
My first time visiting prison in Uganda was anything but what I expected…
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Graduates: Dickson Munene and Hamisi Mzari
Throughout this year we have shared the stories of every one of our 16 Kenyan law graduates. Each of them have completed their studies with the University of London, as part of .
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Graduates: Back to School for Two of our Hardworking Prison Officers
Both prisoners and prison staff are part of our community at APP and they are often sat in the same classroom studying law together. This year two Kenyan Prison Officers - Winfred Kamene and Dennis Mungo - have graduated from the University of London with their Bachelor of Law degrees [LLB]
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One Year On: Morris Kaberia
On 20th September 2018, Morris Kaberia was released from Kamiti Maximum Prison, in Kenya, n. Less than a year later he was leading a successful legal challenge on the remission of sentences which will ensure the release of others, unlawfully detained, across the country.
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A Visitor's Perspective: Beyond the Prison of a Prisoned Mind
"We should be open to the idea that there are proven leaders within the prison population in Kamiti ..."
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Graduate: James Osano
I get satisfaction from the fact that I am now able to help others, who like me, are in prison and cannot afford legal representation.
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The ripple effect of individual impact
When defenceless individuals in conflict with the law get a fair hearing, impact spreads to families, communities, prisons, court systems, and society as a whole.
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Voices from Uganda
We've expanded our compassionate release campaign reach into Uganda. Hundreds of nonviolent offenders await your support.
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Compassionate release campaign update
We're making progress on decongesting prisons during the pandemic. Many more await your support.
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Gilbert Wanami
Gilbert is a first-year LLB student, released 12 May 2020 into the arms of his wife, Maureen.
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Release: Joseph Karanja, pioneer and free man
Joseph Karanja has spent 20 years in prison. He was arrested in 2000 and sentenced to death at his trial in 2001. However, in 2009 he was one of 4,000 prisoners whose death sentences were commuted to life imprisonment by Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki.
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Pascal Kakuru
Pascal began studying law whilst on death row. He became APP’s first student to receive a Law Degree (LLB) from the University of London in September 2017 and is continuing to study for his Masters (LLM).
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Gilbert Niwamanya
Gilbert, aged 36, is the Welfare and Rehabilitation Officer at Luzira Maximum Security Prison, Kampala, where he’s worked for the past 5 years.
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