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| tags: | #African prisons, #corruption, #criminal justice, #legal service, #privatization, #Africapitalism |
|---|---|
| located: | Kenya, Uganda |
| by: | Yair Oded |
From South Africa to England, the privatization of prison systems has been proven to be an utter failure - with a growing number of cases of mismanagement and mishandling of profits, as contractors seek to maximize profit and cut costs on their facilities and services. In the U.S., the privatisation of prisons has been directly linked to an uptick in convictions, as more prisoners has meant more money.
As many countries across Africa adopt the model of private prisons, where the state contracts a private entity to establish and operate prisons on its behalf, many fear that the damage inflicted by this system on the welfare and safety of communities and prisoners would prove to be doubly more dangerous in a continent where governments are already vulnerable to widespread corruption.
African Prisons Project (APP) is a nonprofit organization working to uplift one of the most vulnerable and marginalized prisoners across East Africa, and beyond.
APP operates in prisons across Uganda and Kenya, working to put “the power of the law in the hands of the poor” by providing education, training, and legal services to prisoners as well as prison personnel.
APP’s goal is to empower prisoners by acquainting them with the law, giving them a sense of agency over their destiny and lives, and help them rehabilitate themselves and their community.
The organization runs legal education and training workshops in prisons, acquainting both inmates and staff with the law through paralegal training, undergraduate, and postgraduate legal studies. They also provide quality, affordable legal services to the most marginalized of prisoners, as well as secondment job opportunities for senior prison and criminal justice personnel, who can then assume leadership positions in the field and ensure that prisoners’ rights are protected.
“Behind the prison walls we have brains,” says a graduate of APP’s program, “We have brains that can move mountains”.
Please visit their website to learn about their various volunteer opportunities (available both on site and from afar), or to pledge a donation.
Image credit: APP website.
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