How Former Inmates Trained As Paralegals Are Creating Hope In Prisons

NAKURU, Kenya, Nov 12 – Continuous reforms within the country’s criminal justice system have been described as critical if the wheels of justice are to function in an efficient and effective manner.

In recent years, one cog in the criminal justice wheel has been faulted for not doing its role.

The lack of legal representation for inmates in correctional facilities is said to be one of the reasons that have seen a lot of innocent people remain confined within prisons. 

In a bid to address the ballooning congestion in the country’s correctional facilities, the Kenya Prisons Service and the Justice Defenders are now set to partner and train inmates as well as warders as paralegals.

Justice Defenders has now opened nine legal offices within prisons nationwide, bringing to twelve the number of penal institutions with such facilities.

“We have come to learn that the biggest challenge facing inmates is lack of legal representation with more than 90 percent of them unable to hire lawyers,” said Justice Defenders Director Miriam Wachira.

Wachira who visited the Naivasha G.K Prison revealed that in the last one year over 4,000 inmates represented by paralegals who were once former inmates had been released from prison.

The inmates had successfully appealed the cases and were eventually set free.

The organisation is now championing the adoption of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) in order to resolve pending cases.

“The training of inmates and warders to be paralegals has played a critical role in decongesting prisons and we are keen to expand this programme to other prisons,” she said.

Over 43,000 inmates received virtual legal training at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic with 451 of them being set free through ADR.

Director of operations in Prison Duncan Ogore hailed the move, saying that it empowered inmates, as well as provided fertile grounds for rehabilitation.

“This programme apart from training the inmates will assist us in decongesting prison as many inmates do not have financial muscles to get legal representation,” Ogore said.