A Quasi – Experimental Impact Evaluation of a Criminal Justice Paralegal Program in Sierra Leone

In 2009, Timap for Justice and the Open Society Justice Initiative launched a pilot criminal justice paralegal program in 3 rural districts of Sierra Leone. The program is intended to provide access to justice to those detained at police stations and prisons, and employs 6 paralegals and 1 lawyer.

Since mid-2009, the Centre for the Study of African Economies, Oxford University  has been conducting a quasi-experimental evaluation of the impact of the program. The evaluation is funded through research grants from the Soros Foundation and the International Growth Centre.As part of the pilot, paralegals solicit criminal cases through several strategies, including regular monitoring of police stations and prisons, outreach to communities, and taking up cases that are brought into their offices. The program is based on the hypothesis that early intervention in the criminal justice system prevents abuses at a later stage and ensures that suspects are not unlawfully detained.

Over a 9-month period Timap criminal justice paralegals have intervened in over 800 cases of police detainees and prison inmates. The pilot, described in detail in this fact sheet, is part of a larger justice-sector reform program underway across Sierra Leone, thus it is hoped that the project will be scaled-up nationwide.