Legal Aid Board conducts two-day UNDP-funded workshop for staff on legal services to inmates
The Legal Aid Board has concluded a two-day United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)-funded capacity building workshop on the provision of legal services to the country’s Correctional Services and Remand Systems for staff of the Board drawn from all its 29 offices around the country.
The participants included Regional Managers, Resident District Legal Aid Counsels/Lawyers (drawn from ten of the country’s sixteen districts including Freetown and Waterloo); Paralegals and Court Clerks.
The event took place on the 22nd to the 23rd May, 2024 at the One Word Link on Mattru Road, in Bo city, in the Southern Region. Also in attendance were key stakeholders and partners in the justice sector including Correctional Service Officers, Sierra Leone Police personnel and representatives of District Human Rights Committees.
The aim was to capacitate participants on the importanceof data collection and analysis in improving the lives of inmates. It examines data on inmates which speak to their status, identity, length of incarceration, those on prolonged adjournments; those on remand without bail; those on bail but could not meet bail conditions; those awaiting indictments and those who are over sentenced.
Speaking during the opening ceremony, the Executive Director of the Board, Ms. Fatmata Claire Carlton-Hanciles underlined the importance of the training which amongst other things will provide an opportunity for staff of the Board and partners to compare notes with a view to ensure effective provision of services to inmates. ‘Incarceration does not mean the end of one’s life’, Ms. Carlton-Hanciles said, adding that ‘inmates should be able to rebuild their lives after incarceration’.
Ms. Carlton-Hanciles also spoke about the work of the Board which continues to attract international attention. This had resulted in her being invited not only to the United Nations but other international summits where she had showcased the work of the Board. She added that with a minimal budget the Board has been able to make remarkable success in its nine years of existence notably the provision of legal aid to over two million people. She encourageded participants to make good use of the training.
In PowerPoint presentations by the Board’s Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, Mr. Sallu Jusu, participants were schooled on the tools and resources needed for monitoring and evaluating the impact of services and on the roadmap to driving a positive change in correctional services particularly remand inmates.
The Board’s National Supervisor, Legal Aid Counsel, Mohamed Korie facilitated the group session which focused on data collection techniques; data analysis; identification of key issues in the correctional services and remand system and interventions to address challenges.
The workshop was climaxed with group work presentations on action plan for the provision of services to correctional services and remand systems followed by questions and answers.
The training was just one of the many areas of support to the Board by UNDP. Other areas of support include legal representation for inmates in the ongoing Prison Courts which is aimed at reducing overcrowdingin correctional centres and legal representation for women and girls in order to ensure that their rights are protected.
