Justice Nest Recruits Paralegals in Mombasa to Boost Inmates' Access to Justice
Justice Nest has recruited 34 individuals from Shimo La Tewa’s maximum, medium, and women’s prisons to be trained as paralegals, marking a critical step toward improving access to justice for inmates.
The recruitment comes ahead of Justice Nest’s intensive paralegal training program, scheduled to begin in January 2025.
The initiative aims to implement the proven prison paralegal model at the Kenyan coast, empowering incarcerated individuals to offer legal assistance to their peers within correctional facilities.
This model has demonstrated significant impact in other regions, including improved access to justice for marginalized individuals, faster resolution of cases, reduced prison overcrowding, and the promotion of legal awareness among inmates.
Justice Nest founder and executive director Miriam Wachira emphasized the urgency of the program, stating: “Without the support of our paralegals, men and women in prison—the majority of whom are pre-trial and therefore legally innocent under the Kenyan constitution—are likely to languish in prison without anyone to defend them.”
Official data shows the outsized impact of prison paralegals; each paralegal, on average, works on 96 cases annually, securing release for approximately 32 individuals.
Armed with legal knowledge, paralegals identify systemic rights violations and advocate for remedies through the courts.
Kenya’s prison population stands at approximately 60,000, with 60% of inmates in pre-trial detention.
The prison paralegal model has proven to be both cost-effective and sustainable in regions with limited access to formal legal representation, enabling inmates to better understand and navigate the justice system.
Justice Nest brings deep expertise in paralegal training and legal education within prisons and is committed to replicating this successful model across Kenya.
The organization has secured buy-in from Mombasa’s prison administration to roll out the program.
Ms Wachira notes, “The upfront costs we are fundraising for are essential to the launch of our paralegal program, which is a core pillar of our work to ensure access to justice for vulnerable families and individuals in Kenya.”
Justice Nest is seeking $20,000 (Ksh. 2.5 million) to implement the program at Shimo La Tewa.
The funds will support renovations to create legal offices within the prison, equipment purchases including desktop computers and printers, hiring an experienced legal advocate to mentor and support the paralegals post-training, and meals for trainees during the training sessions.
At Justice Nest, our mission is to protect and restore families in contact with the justice system, with a special focus on women, children, and prisoners.
By equipping inmates with legal knowledge and tools, we believe we can create pathways to justice, reduce overcrowding, and reunite families.
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