INTRODUCTION
The project
is sponsored by the NETWORK OF UNIVERSITY LEGAL AID INSTITUTIONS (NULAI)
together with the OPEN SOCIETY INNOVATIVE OF WEST AFRICA (OSIWA) to facilitate
access to justice to PRISON PRE-TRIAL DETAINEES.
The project
is to be done within the span of one year and the target of the law clinic is
towards 50 detainees with less serious offences and who do not have legal
representation across the OKE-KURA and MANDALA prisons.
Participants
of the projects sprung into action at the beginning of the year by having
workshops where we were made abreast with the rudiments and everything we are
to know about the project. Similarly we were trained on certain important
things that are very necessary and fundamental to carrying out the project such
as how to draft documents, lessons on how to conduct an interview, general
conduct during and after advocacy visits to the different stakeholders on one
hand and the conduct during prison visitation.
Upon request
by the law clinic, advocacy visits were paid to various stakeholders to
intimate them about the project and its objectives and to also seek for their
support in carrying on with the project. Similarly, visitations were paid to
the prisons, detainees were interviewed, records were taken and the cases that
fall within the scope of the project were taken up by the clinic.
WHAT WAS LEARNT
During the
course of this project, I have learnt a lot of things among which are;
●
How to draft a bail application
●
How to conduct an interview generally
●
And specifically, the necessary information required while
interviewing a detainee
●
I have also learnt how to write summary of cases and how to write
a report.
HOW I FEEL BEING PART OF THE PROJECT
Being a part
of this project is something I am elated about, particularly because it is
posed towards the attainment of justice. I feel fulfilled knowing I have
rendered help with one or two steps to see that persons are not oppressed and
justice is attained.
HOW THE EXPERIENCE CHANGED MY PERSPECTIVE
The
experiences I got from being part of this project has changed my perspective in
different ways, one is the need to never take our freedom for granted as
detainees are deprived from doing certain things they ordinarily would want to
do in their daily lives. Also, it has helped me realise that many a time people
are victims of circumstances and are not necessarily in prison because they are
bad people.
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
This kind of project, for the fact that it is tilted towards
justice and seeing that due process of law is followed in virtually every
aspects of human existence and in the long run reuniting families, should be done
more often as people are being accused, arrested, arraigned before the court ,
separated from their families and remanded in prison with each passing day .
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