Latest News

Black Lives Matter: the role of Justice Defenders in advancing racial equality

Reflections from our founder on our work, the ethos of BLM, and our global reckoning of the costs of racial inequality.

Covid-19 response: a three-part plan

Our response to the pandemic will be three-fold: a fines fund, tech advocacy, and sanitation partnerships.

Covid-19 response: reflections on the lockdown

We’re asking ourselves: what does it look like to radically decongest prisons at this time?

Covid-19 response: a message for our community

Hear from our Founder, Alexander McLean, on how we're navigating this COVID-19 pandemic.

International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women 2019

Although women and girls account for a far smaller share of total homicides than men, they bear by far the greatest burden of intimate partner/family‐related homicide, and intimate partner homicide.

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.

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 .

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.

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 ..."

A Vision for Justice Through Eyes that Have Cried: Strategic Litigation from the Margins

Challenging parliament to improve sentencing guidelines for people with mental health conditions in Uganda

Access to justice is a fundamental human right and a critical mechanism to combat a wide range of human rights violations. Yet, in Uganda, countless individuals who lack the means to secure legal representation face an uncertain future.

“I always looked forward to proving society wrong.”

Meet Phionah. She is part of our unlikely community. Her commitment to justice led her to serve clients alongside fellow paralegals, both incarcerated women and prison officers.

Expanding outside of prisons. Disrupting the poverty-to-prison pipeline in Nairobi.

The lack of meaningful access to justice impacts nearly two of every three people worldwide. The cost is greatest for those with the least. Our first-ever legal office, based outside of a prison, is a game-changer.

Poem: A call to bridge the path towards justice.

A message of hope in Uganda from Alex Byamukama.

A day in the life of a Justice Defenders Legal Officer: Kenneth Kugonza in Uganda

Kenneth Kugoza works in mid-central Uganda, helping those facing injustice. He shares how he spends his day across multiple prisons.

Allyship beyond perceived differences.

Three prison officers overcome perceived differences in service of those in prison. This unique show of solidarity is truly what makes the fabric of our community a unique tapestry of allies.

Reforming the Sexual Offences Act: securing proportionate sentencing.

Success as Justice Defenders paralegals ensure judges are able to use their discretion to sentence people convicted of sexual offences.

The unlikely activists. Reforming the criminal justice system from behind prison bars.

Success as Justice Defenders paralegals secure rights for suspects with mental disabilities.