Seen us on CNN Champions for Change?

From Uganda to the United States, we are living amidst a global justice crisis.

The lack of access to justice impacts 5.1 billion people worldwide – with effects on families, communities, and society at large. Three million men, women, and children are being held in overcrowded prisons without a trial. Countless voices are lost in the noise. But we are listening.

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WHAT WE DO

We train paralegals and lawyers within defenceless communities to provide legal services for themselves and others.

Those who need justice most are least likely to gain access to it. And those with lived experience within the justice system are least likely to be heard.

We need justice defenders to bridge the justice gap. People who can see the defenceless, identify with their conflict, and ensure the equal application of the law. And real change can happen when defenders come from within our communities.

By equipping justice defenders to facilitate a just legal process – through legal education, training, and practice – we help ensure a fair hearing at the point of greatest need. As everyone deserves the right to tell their story.

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Our manifesto

Responding to the grassroots need for justice in the US and beyond.

Since Justice Defenders’ feature on 60 Minutes first aired in December 2020, we’ve been humbled by requests for legal training from people inside and outside of prisons, from all corners of the world. We’ve received invitations to collaborate with the United Nations, 13 other non-governmental organisations, four universities, and eight private companies. From 15 countries in Africa, Asia, the Americas, and Europe. And from 22 states in the US.

Covid-19 and the death of George Floyd has hastened a global awakening for justice. The demand for justice is louder, and the need for justice is greater than ever before.

As we respond to the mandate of the people, we remain grounded by our values of solidarity, humility, and bravery. To navigate the immense opportunities to scale our work, we are listening deeply to the grassroots need. 

We’re committed to learning from people with lived experience of conflict with the law. Hearing their stories to understand how our model – equipping prisoners and prison officers with legal knowledge – can defend justice in the US and beyond.

Because when the law is placed in the hands of the people with least power in society, they can be agents of change and reform.

In a fractured world, we are countercultural. We act as a catalyst, uniting justice defenders globally. We are poised for action but we won’t do this alone. Our goal is to serve one million defenceless people by 2030. Now is the time for our rallying cry to be heard. 

Dare to believe in a world where real justice exists for everyone.

Step forward and commit to defending justice with us. 

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