Throughout the past few years, IBJ India has expanded the scope of its operations by working with local partners to improve conditions and resources within prisons. Since 2017, IBJ India has coordinated Project Rupaantar, a rehabilitation initiative for young adults and women detained in Tihar Jail No.5 and No. 6. In collaboration with the Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, Gem and Jewelry Skill Council of India (GJSCI), and the Delhi Prisons, the project aims to transform the lives of detainees. It empowers them with vocational skills, including imitation jewelry design and glass gem design. Developing such applicable skills will allow inmates to find work following their time in prison and live healthier, more productive lives. After earning a certification, inmates can immediately begin to work and earn money while in jail. By saving these earnings, they can more easily secure housing, food, transportation, and other necessities following their release.

IBJ India chose to implement this program in Jail No. 5 and No.6 because young adults and women are the most economically dependent segments of the adult population. Since so many Indian inmates are illiterate and lack employable skills, they struggle to reintegrate themselves into society and often end up destitute or back behind bars. Indian prisons are required to offer educational services. However, after several jail visits and studying reports by the Department of Prisons, IBJ India observed that the education offered to prisoners is neither enriching nor practical. Though prisons know that their educational services are subpar, they prioritize other crucial issues such as maintenance and security. To begin a new, honest life, inmates need education that directly translates into employment and stability. Project Rupaantar empowers prisoners with a sustainable, practical foundation to begin a new life upon their release.

Recent Developments

On Tuesday, July 30th, 2019, IBJ India conducted an inspection at Tihar Jail No. 5 to assess the progress of the GJSCI artificial jewelry trainings. We are pleased to report that IBJ India has successfully trained approximately 596 inmates thus far. Additionally, there are approximately 50 inmates being currently trained in Tihar Jail No. 5. Aside from those currently receiving training, an additional 416 certificates will be awarded to course graduates from Jail No. 5 and No. 6 before the end of the year. IBJ India is currently planning a ceremony for the inmates in jail, while mailing out certificates for those who have been released. To ensure that compulsory prison duties don’t interfere with their access to education, IBJ India has ensured that morning and night classes are available in both jails.

The inmates being trained are extremely pleased with this unique opportunity to join India’s ancient, yet booming, jewelry industry. With the hard work of the GJSCI and its trainers, the students are thrilled for what their future may hold. IBJ India took the names of the inmates present at the training and is looking forward to connecting the inmates to employment opportunities after their time in jail. Looking forward, GJSCI has guaranteed advanced training and employment opportunities to approximately 800 inmates.

International Bridges to Justice’s India Country Program (IBJ India) strives to create a just society empowered to protect human rights. To this end, legal rights awareness campaigns are a central part of our work. Only those who understand their rights can protect their humanity. In India, much of the population remains unaware of their legal rights and how to access counsel. To educate those in need, IBJ India conducts monthly prison legal awareness events to promote a basic understanding of the rights of inmates, prison standards, and legal aid.

From June 2^nd to June 11^th, 2018, IBJ India visited eight prisons in the Tihar and Rohini Jail Complexes to work with inmates and facilitate a Legal Rights Awareness and Legal Aid Camp. The camp worked with over 1,500 jail inmates. These sessions aimed to educate inmates about their rights and duties within the prison. In particular, IBJ India volunteer lawyers and staff taught inmates how to access free legal counsel, how to file for bail, and the role of legal aid in a just society. Prisoners, administrators, and the IBJ India team worked together to develop an interactive and practical program. A diverse set of activities, trainings, and other educational services created a worthwhile experience for the inmates. Presented in a substantive, yet concise, manner, these lessons were crafted such that people of any educational background could understand them.

IBJ India returned to conduct awareness campaigns in 2019. Using the previous year’s efforts as a foundation, IBJ India tested creative new ways of providing legal awareness to those without literacy. Seeking to bridge the gap between informative workshops and engaging storytelling, IBJ staff put on a skit depicting potential pitfalls in the criminal justice system. This engaging, relatable content resonated with inmates and may allow them to better apply the knowledge they gain from awareness campaigns.

Ongoing Challenges

Awareness campaigns are crucial to reduce the stigma surrounding legal aid in India. While Indian lawyers are not supposed to accept compensation in legal aid cases, some nonetheless demand payment. This unfair practice engenders distrust toward providers of legal aid among those most in need of counsel. Inmates ought to have confidence in those representing them. Awareness campaigns and training sessions seek to dispel myths surrounding sarkari lawyers, who are assigned by the government to work on legal aid cases. Empowering inmates to report corrupt lawyers builds trust in legal aid and prevents instances of malpractice. IBJ India’s direct interaction with prisoners rebuilds lost trust and instills confidence that justice can be achieved. By fighting corruption in the legal profession, IBJ India is doing its part to advance both its own work and the work of advocates across the country.

IBJ India continues to innovate new ways to deliver on its mission to protect human rights, including through its Legal Rights Awareness and Legal Aid Camp. This sustainable model for awareness campaigns can be used at other jails across the country. Teaching prisoners to leverage their rights will allow them to improve their circumstances and receive humane treatment. IBJ India’s commitment to human rights through legal education and service truly makes a difference in the lives of those most in need.

Ajay Verma speaks with students about the importance of early access to counsel.

Early access to a lawyer is critical in ensuring that a person accused of a crime has her or his due process rights respected, for example with regards to bail applications. Bail is an essential part of criminal justice in ensuring that the accused is not detained and jailed for excessive periods of time while awaiting trial – a critical period of time when torture and other abuse is most likely to occur. IBJ has worked extensively in India to ensure each individual has early access to counsel. This project, led by IBJ Fellow Ajay Verma, is a significant component to furthering that mission.

“Psychological Aid for the Undertrials: A Community Outreach Project” was set up between IBJ and the Indraprastha College for Women in coordination with Delhi Prisons to provide comprehensive legal and psychological assistance to incarcerated women in one of the nine central prisons in the Delhi Prisons complex. Students and IBJ volunteers interviewed women about their experiences, both from a legal and psychological perspective. Much of their discussion centered around the women’s socio-economic background and history, as well as their many difficulties in securing reliable and effective counsel.

As one student described, “Our role was to identify persons to whom we could provide legal aid, and also to be able to talk to the inmates and encourage them.” Their interactions with the inmates revealed the profound interactions between the psychological aspects of incarceration with the need to access to legal counsel and trial. Often closely linked, the psychological and legal concerns create a distressing and challenging environment for each of the prisoners’ mental, physical and psychological health. IBJ’s role throughout the process was to provide legal assistance to inmates identified as being without legal counsel.

Students, IBJ staff and teachers at Indraprastha College brainstorm legal and psychosocial strategies for assisting undertrials

 The focus of the students on developing empathy for the women whom they were interviewing and the availability of legal support from IBJ were both essential in creating a structure through which, to offer the prisoners relief from some of their distress while incarcerated.

IBJ’s mission to ensure early access to counsel proved critical in many of the cases reported through this project. Many of the women who were interviewed expressed minimal or no support from their own private lawyer, in which case IBJ was able to step in and offer its legal counsel in these urgent situations. As one student noted, “She was in need of a lawyer and this case was forwarded to Ajay Verma.” Through the lens of these stories, the urgency of reliable and timely counsel was reinforced as fundamental to the alleviation of harmful conditions. Many of the concerns and painful circumstances the women reported stemmed from violations of legal procedure and the lack of a presence of a dedicated lawyer. With the assistance of IBJ, dozens of these women now have the opportunity to access justice and be fairly judged.

Many have been reunited with their families. Today in the prison, IBJ has developed a sense of hope among the jailed inmates that, if no one comes to help them, IBJ’s lawyers will be there to provide help.

A Glimpse into Access to Justice Projects in 4 Countries

IBJ JusticeMakers Fellows are paving the way to ensuring that their communities have functioning legal infrastructure that respect the rights of all individuals. From assisting prisoners living with HIV/AIDS, to ensuring youth have protection from abuse within the criminal justice system, to improving public awareness about legal rights, JusticeMakers are leading the way as social entrepreneurs in the field of justice.

With a unique insight into the local challenges that affect their community and a support network from IBJ giving access to resources and partners, JusticeMakers are uniquely equipped to take on pressing justice issues from the bottom-up.

Here, we give a brief glimpse of four courageous JusticeMakers in the Philippines, Myanmar, Thailand and Sri Lanka.

Harshi Perera from Sri Lanka

Harshi advocates for the rights of children and women, perceiving these groups as some of the most vulnerable in Sri Lanka.

She and her team have successfully:

• Released five women held in pre-trial detention from Welikada Prison’s Female Prison Ward in Colombo. One of the women had been held in pre-trial detention for over eight years. Another had been imprisoned with her eight-month-old daughter.
• Built a comprehensive support network to improve the experiences of Sri Lankan women in their dealings with the justice system and documented them in over 25 stories.

Tin Ko Ko from Myanmar

Tin Ko Ko for his JusticeMakers project set out to raise awareness about the specific issues Myanmar’s transgender community faces with relation to police abuse and legal rights violation.

During his Fellowship, Mr. Ko Ko:

• Held public events to educate citizens about the LGBT community, many of whom who were unaware about the nature of the community and the struggles that they face.
• After months of continuous legal assistance, Mr. Ko Ko got an innocent transgender woman acquitted – a victory for transgender rights in Myanmar

Arianne O. Reyes from the Philippines

Ms. Reyes and her team of young lawyers have made considerable improvements in bridging the gap between existing legislation involving children in conflict with the law and the way it is implemented in practice. In the Philippines, law enforcement officials are often unaware or have limited understanding of their role in the prevention, rehabilitation and reintegration of children in conflict with the law.

To address this, she and her team have:

• Sustained communications with psychologists and juvenile justice welfare advocates. In addition, they have established a pool of volunteers who feel strongly about juvenile justice and who are willing to lend their time and effort to raise awareness.
• Begun developing a juvenile justice website, Project J, with resources and materials. The purpose of this site is to be a one stop shop for all relevant resources on the Philippines’ juvenile justice welfare act and a starting point for advocates and researchers.

Laofang Bunditerdsakul from Thailand

In remote parts of Thailand, rights of indigenous and ethnic communities are often dismissed and overlooked by local authorities. These communities are often isolated and have limited understanding of their rights and legal procedures. Mr. Laofang aims to improve the situation by conducting real trials in which other villagers and community leaders would be invited to witness and learn from the process.

He has:

• Represented Mr. Su Wang-poh, a native Hmong villager, to assert his tribal land rights in a case against local authorities and has negotiated with the local national park officer. They have now agreed to make a new boundary amendment for community land.

Crispin Sangara (center) stands with two 13-year olds and their mothers outside the Children’s Court of Bukavu. Crispin, who is a volunteer lawyer with IBJ Congo working on juvenile justice, provided legal assistance that resulted in the young boys’ release. They were imprisoned for 2 months accused of stealing a bicycle.

The provision of free legal assistance is a central part of IBJ’s strategy to prevent torture and reduce human rights abuses in prisons. The need for such assistance in the DRC is especially urgent: there exists neither state-sponsored legal aid nor NGO-sponsored free legal aid to criminal defendants. This has resulted in a staggering pre-trial detention rate of 73%. In other words, almost 3 in 4 prisoners who are kept imprisoned are detained without trial.

As a consequence, individuals have no access to legal protection if they are arrested. They are kept in overcrowded, often dangerous conditions, and due to their imprisonment are unable to support their families. Today, IBJ is the only organization in DRC with the capacity to provide legal assistance to individuals who are too poor to otherwise afford a lawyer.

Apendeke Ngalula is 37 years old. She was falsely accused of abducting a child, despite neighbours witnessing Apendeke giving the child in question to her parents. Seeking IBJ for legal assistance, IBJ succeeded in getting her detention order lifted by the investigating magistrate, as the accusations against her were groundless.

The scale of the problem is great. In Bukavu Central Prison alone, over 1,000 individuals are held in pre-trial detention. As such, there is an urgent need for IBJ to scale up its operations and make free legal representation widely accessible. These efforts are crucial to strengthen rule of law and advance access to justice in the region.

Already IBJ’s hard work is bearing fruit: dozens of individuals have thanks to IBJ’s timely intervention been reunited with their families. Furthermore, authorities in the region have shown themselves open to engaging in constructive discussions about the state of criminal justice. The President of the Tribunal de Grande Instance de Bukavu, Luc Mushagalusa Basedeke, has stated that since IBJ started working in Bukavu, there has been a noticeable impact on the speed at which cases are being processed.

The IBJ Congo program is spearheaded by country coordinator Charles Mugaruka Mupenda. “It has been my dream and my passion to work in my country, my region, to make justice a reality,” says Charles, whose engagement with IBJ started through the JusticeMakers program in 2012.

Belyse (not her real name), a young mother of 6 from Bujumbura in Burundi, is one such individual. With the Congolese province of South Kivu only a short bus ride away, Belyse crossed the Burundi-Congo border on June 14 and headed to Bukavu, to visit an old friend. Little did she know that before arriving at her friend’s house, she would become a victim of a false accusation.

Having made her way to Bukavu, Belyse was approached by a stranger on the street who accused her of cheating her out of money. Belyse had never seen the woman who accused her before. The stranger started to cry and scream, pulling at Belyse’s clothes and gathering a crowd of angry onlookers, who joined the stranger in hitting and punching Belyse.

Terrified and surrounded by a hostile crowd, Belyse asked to be taken to the nearest police station for safety. However, when she arrived at the nearby Muhungu La Voix Police Station, rather than offering her protection after being subjected to violence in the street, the police detained Belyse after the unknown woman who had instigated the attack told the officers that Belyse had swindled her out of money.

Belyse at the IBJ Congo office with country coordinator Charles Mupenda and IBJ lawyer Munguwampaga Birere Dieudonné

As a native Kirundi speaker, Belyse was unable to communicate properly with the prison guards and prosecutors, as the main language spoken in eastern Congo is Swahili. Detained in police custody then imprisoned in Bukavu Central Prison, Belyse had her legal and travel documents taken from her by a police officer – a common practice throughout the DRC.

Belyse seen off by Charles and Dieudonné at the bus station in Bukavu

At the moment when her situation looked hopeless, IBJ lawyers were able to step in and intervene on her behalf. Meeting with prosecutors and investigating magistrates, IBJ’s lawyers were able to able to obtain her legal documents from the police officer and obtain her release from detention, demonstrating that the charges against her were groundless. After her release, she was brought to IBJ’s office where she shared food and tea with the IBJ Congo team. IBJ then provided her with the money to purchase a bus ticket to return home to Bujumbura, where she was reunited with her 6 young children.

Furthermore, the IBJ Congo team put Belyse in touch with the IBJ team in Burundi, to whom she can turn for help once she is back home.

Belyse was overcome by immense joy at being freed. She expressed her sincerest thanks to IBJ not only for helping to release her from prison, but also for making sure she was able to safely return to her country and her children. As a widow, Belyse is their sole caretaker.

Calling the IBJ Congo office upon her return to Bujumbura, she sends her blessings to all of the IBJ team.

Then 14 years old, Paulin was approached by a man selling boots. Buying a pair for 80 cents, Paulin was soon after approached by another man on the street who said those boots belonged to him. The man’s mother, who testified that the newly-bought boots were indeed her son’s, called police officers to arrest Paulin for burglary.

Despite being unaware that the goods he bought were stolen, Paulin continues to languish in prison. No lawyer assisted him at his trial, since he did not have the financial resources to pay for one.

He has today been in Bukavu Central Prison for 3 years and 6 months. Not only is the length of time he has been detained for grossly disproportionate to the petty crime he is accused of, it is also a time which spans his most formative years. Imprisoned from the age of 14 to 17, being denied access to justice has impacted his education, his links to the community, and his physical and psychological wellbeing.

Now, however, we have a chance to change Paulin’s life. International Bridges to Justice has since the beginning of August been providing Paulin with pro-bono legal assistance. However, for our volunteer lawyers to continue their work and get Paulin released from horrific prison conditions, we urgently need your help.

Sadly, Paulin is not the only victim of a justice system that does not work. Over 1,000 other people in Bukavu Central Prison are in the same situation, facing long delays and without lawyers to represent them. IBJ, from its office in Bukavu, is trying to ensure that as many women, men, and children as possible are protected from arbitrary detention and abuse.

Donate today on JustGiving to help Paulin. Your small contribution will help IBJ ensure that every woman, man and child is protected from arbitrary detention and abuse.

Pankhuri A. Mehndiratta and Katyayini,  IBJ India

IBJ India in collaboration with Delhi Prisons organized a two-day capacity building workshop for warders and custodial staff at the Prison Headquarters, Tihar, New Delhi on September 26 -27, 2014. The workshop was aimed at building capacity and legal awareness within the prison system in Tihar. It was attended by custodial staff including Warders, Head Warders, and the Assistant Superintendent from each prison in the Tihar Central Jail and Rohini District Jail. Both days at the workshop saw an encouraging level of interaction and participation by the custodial staff.   After the short introduction given by IBJ India fellow, Mr. Ajay Verma, the Deputy Inspector General, Mr. Mukesh Prasad, inaugurated the session. Mr. Sunil Gupta, Law Officer, Tihar jail, then gave a brief overview of the Delhi Prisons Act and the role of warders.

Mr. Alok Verma, Director General of Tihar Jail, held an interactive session with the custodial staff of the Tihar and Rohini prisons. An array of issues was brought to the attention of Mr. Verma ranging from the unsatisfactory living conditions of the warders and custodial staff to the problems that they face due to the lack of internal mechanisms for promotion. IBJ India was able to facilitate constructive dialogue between management and the staff of the prisons in a bid to strengthen mutual understanding of the challenges they both face.

Mr. D V Trivedi, Former Director of the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD), discussed the conduct of warders so as to ensure effective prison management. The custodial staff was then asked to share their ideas about prison and the purpose of incarceration. Though the majority of the warders and custodial staff agreed that reformation and rehabilitation was the end goal of incarceration, some of them were of the opinion that it is important to adopt a punitive approach towards inmates who are repeat offenders and display no respect for prison regulations. However, the attitude of the custodial staff was largely sympathetic towards the prisoners, recognizing that personal circumstances could have an influential role in their imprisonment and that it was the prerogative of the courts to pronounce someone guilty.

The session then moved on to the discussion of other issues, including the present infrastructure that needs to be upgraded to keep up to date with the latest technology. One specific demand is the need for more CCTV cameras to ensure complete and effective surveillance on part of the custodial staff. Also addressed was the problem of understaffing that is accentuated by the high professional dropout rate due to lack of incentives, promotions, and low wages. The custodial staff was successfully able to bring awareness that there are inadequate cashless treatment schemes for them and that the very few hospitals that offer this were meager in terms of the quantity and quality of these services. The refurbishment of staff quarters was promised by the Director General (Prisons), Tihar, during his interactive session and will hopefully be looked into immediately. Another major problem that was addressed was prison overcrowding. This leads to overwork and burn out of the custodial staff. Moreover, over 70% of the inmate population is under trial, which makes the implementation of discipline more challenging for the staff members. The problem is further pronounced when inmates, despite having been granted bail, are unable to secure their release on account of lack of a surety or the financial means to secure bond.

Mr. Ajay Verma, Advocate and IBJ India Fellow, discussed the role of custodial staff in ensuring justice for the inmates as well as correct bail procedures u/s 167,436,437 of the CrPC, appeals, parole, furlough and juvenile inmates. He also discussed that the segregation of prisoners should be more clearly defined and suggested specialized cells for first offenders. In order to ensure the awareness of the custodial staff about the prevalent legal provisions, judgments and techniques of administering discipline, it is imperative that they should receive regular training sessions. The prison staff then received instruction on the rights of the prisoners and their duties towards them. During the last part of the session, different reformative measures were discussed by the IBJ team members Ajay Verma (IBJ India Fellow) and Pankhuri A Mehndiratta (Advocate).

Dr. Shahzad Ibrahimi, a renowned motivational speaker, was also present as part of the eminent people that shared their energy for the cause of strengthening the criminal justice system and its pillars in order to ensure respect for human rights. Ms. Deepika Gupta, Consultant Psychologist at Human Dynamic, Gurgaon, shared her views on behavioral disorders and suicidal tendencies of prisoners and the role of prison staff in monitoring prisoners. In her highly engaging session, she gave valuable indicators to identify inmates with behavioral disorders to aid the custodial staff in assessing potentiality of suicide within the cells.

Strengthening the core of the criminal justice system of India through capacity building and awareness training helps IBJ India to live up to its mandate of ensuring the respect for human rights and preventing torture during detention. The entire team of IBJ India is extremely grateful for the support and collaboration of the Delhi prison authorities and looks forward to hosting similar events in the future.

June 2014

I have only been interning in IBJ Cambodia’s Battambang office for a few weeks, but I have already seen just how important the work they do is to those accused of crimes here in Battambang Province. Sopheak’s* acquittal provides a clear example of the impact of IBJ’s success.

Kalyan (lawyer assistant), Sopheak’s mother, Sopheak, Me (legal intern); Taken at Sopheak’s home.

A few months ago, Sopheak, his girlfriend, and another couple (who were classmates of his) were enjoying the typical night out as teenagers. They had gone out to eat, and were hanging out around town. At the end of the night, Sopheak and his friends returned home to spend the night at his house, but they realized there were too many people and it was too loud to sleep, so they booked two rooms at a local guesthouse. Sopheak and his girlfriend slept in one room, while the other couple slept in a separate room. However, one of the teens staying in the other room was a 14-year-old girl, and her parents became very upset upon learning that their daughter had spent the night out. Although the girl was in a separate room from Sopheak and had slept over Sopheak’s house prior to this incident, her parents subsequently filed a complaint with the police and Sopheak found himself in a completely unanticipated position.

Sopheak, a 17 year-old boy who had spent the night in a guesthouse room with his girlfriend, had been accused of rape by the 14 year-old girl’s parents, despite the fact that he and his girlfriend had stayed in a different room and he had had no physical contact with the young girl.

Luckily, Sopheak was quickly referred to International Bridges to Justice by two separate sources: a woman who worked at the Battambang court, and a neighborhood friend who had attended one of IBJ’s Community Legal Awareness sessions in their commune. Clearly, as this case demonstrates, IBJ’s outreach to the Battambang court and community is making an impact and helping those accused of crimes gain legal counsel. Because these sources put Sopheak in contact with IBJ early in the process, IBJ’s lawyers were able to help Sopheak through every step, starting with procedure and investigation and continuing through trial. However, while awaiting trial, Sopheak was forced to stay in a four by four meter cell with twenty other minors for the three to four months that he was in detention awaiting his trial. Under these extreme conditions, Sopheak found sleeping very difficult, and says that there was not enough food for him to eat. While his family was able to visit him, they could only make around two trips each month.

Sopheak’s lawyer communicated the true account of what happened that night to the judge, which was corroborated by the young girl herself, and successfully refuted the allegations made by the young girl’s parents. Found innocent, Sopheak was acquitted of the false crime he was charged with and could put the past few months behind him. Without this help, Sopheak may have received an unfair trial and believes he would have had to “stay [in prison for a] long time”. Upon his release on May 20th of this year, after three to four months in detention, Sopheak says he was “feeling great” and “very happy” to return to his commune. Although he had to suspend his schooling while he was imprisoned, he has now restarted school and is in Grade 9. Justice was served for Sopheak!

Sothea (lawyer), Sopheak, Sopheak’s mother, Me (legal intern); Taken at their home.

*Name has been changed.

Según un estudio del Gobierno de Bolivia sobre la situación de las cárceles bolivianas, los  privados de libertad llegan a estos lugares por  robo/hurto, asalto, violación, lesiones a otras personas, por  ser consumidores de sustancias prohibidas, etc. Y de hecho, algunos de ellos están mejor dentro de la cárcel, donde encuentran descanso a las persecuciones y  agresiones vividas en el exterior. Sin embargo, también están aquellos que en el transcurso de una larga sentencia, perdieron a su familia y todo vínculo con el exterior. La liberación representa una gran angustia, pues en muchas ocasiones permanecen simplemente sentados  esperando que pase el tiempo de sus condenas. Esto implica un doble castigo, pues no sólo se someten a la pérdida de su libertad, sino también a las pésimas condiciones que existen al interior de la cárcel. Las políticas estatales  no hacen mucho para los privados de libertad, que están desamparados sin visión ni perspectiva en su vida.

Mabel y Verónica Marisol –también JusticeMaker 2011, han tenido la ocasión de encontrarse en Bolivia un par de veces (aunque viven en diferentes partes del país) y de visitar las cárceles juntas. Las prisiones están extremadamente abarrotadas y es frecuente que los detenidos pasen meses en prisión sin acceso a un abogado. Generalmente ingresan en prisión con sus familias, lo que significa que sus hijos viven ahí también en malísimas condiciones mientras sus padres cumplen con sus sentencias [véase la foto de la izquierda].

El 22% de reos en Bolivia está en Cochabamba, que cuenta con seis cárceles. Más de 1.200 muchachos viven en las prisiones bolivianas y concretamente, la situación en la cárcel de San Sebastián (Cochabamba), donde Mabel ha realizado talleres de formación, es tan infrahumana que el techo se está cayendo, tienen un baño para 650 internos, y además el preso tiene que comprarse su propia celda (entre 500 y 1.500 dólares) porque el Estado no la provee por falta de fondos.

Con su proyecto, Mabel “ha aprendido a compartir”. Dice que “parece una palabra sencilla pero encierra muchas cosas: revisar procesos, compartir experiencias, ayudarles en sus causas y encaminarse a otras, conocer a sus familias, etc.”. El objetivo de Mabel es entrenar a los profesionales que representan a los acusados para asegurar que los detenidos tienen acceso a la justicia eficazmente y proveer de formación a los acusados. De esta manera, sabrán por qué han sido detenidos, los derechos que les protegen y las obligaciones una vez que obtengan su libertad.

Dice que “el proyecto ha sido un éxito entre los internos del centro penitenciario de San Sebastián”, creó una revista con dibujos del procedimiento penal para que aprendieran más fácilmente de qué se trata, han asistido a los talleres dispuestos a aprender y realizan simulacros de juicios para que sepan actuar en los juicios orales. Según Mabel, “Lo más importante del proyecto es que son los mismos detenidos los que colaboran con los demás, puesto que la información que se les ha transmitido la replican entre sus compañeros, lo que ha efectivizado el proyecto sobre el conocimiento de sus derechos.”.

Tras su experiencia trabajando en el centro de San Sebastián, Mabel afirma que es difícil avanzar en el proceso con los profesionales, pues cada 3 meses cambian a los funcionarios de Régimen penitenciario y todo el trabajo que se realiza con ellos debe ser nuevamente repetido para los nuevos. Cree que su proyecto tendría un mayor impacto si pudiera organizar jornadas con la prensa y otras instituciones comprometidas al régimen penitenciario.

For English version, click here.