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Statement on Pretrial Detention and Discrimination
Advocates including the Open Society Foundations speak out on the estimated three million people around the world behind bars awaiting trial—many of whom are from the poorest and most marginalized sectors of society.
Improving Pretrial Justice: The Role of Lawyers and Paralegals
There are many causes for the global over-use of pretrial detention, but there are also cost-effective solutions. As this fact sheet outlines, early intervention by lawyers and paralegals can have a positive impact.
Community-Based Paralegals: A Practitioner’s Guide
This how-to guide provides information on all aspects of establishing and operating a community-based paralegal program, from assessing a community’s needs to training paralegals and resolving justice problems.
Paralegal Justice Services Expand Across Sierra Leone
The number of paralegals providing free basic justice services in Sierra Leone will more than double next month, as donors join with non-governmental organizations and community-based groups to create a nation-wide network of legal assistance.
Effective Criminal Defence in Europe
This report summarizes the findings of a research project that explores and compares access to effective defense in criminal proceedings across nine European jurisdictions.
Sierra Leone Paralegal Program Evaluation Underway
The Centre for the Study of African Economies, Oxford University, is evaluating a pilot criminal justice paralegal program launched last year by Timap for Justice and the Open Society Justice Initiative in Sierra Leone.
Between Law and Society: Paralegals and the Provision of Primary Justice Services in Sierra Leone
This paper focuses on Timap for Justice, a pioneering organization expanding access to legal services in rural areas of Sierra Leone. This updated edition includes a new foreword by George Soros.
Why We Need a Global Campaign for Pretrial Justice
The Open Society Justice Initiative is launching a Global Campaign for Pretrial Justice to promote alternatives to pretrial detention, expand access to legal aid services, and deploy paralegals to intervene earlier in the criminal justice process.
In New Article, Goldston Considers Need for Fresh Approach to Rule of Law Reform
Open Society Justice Initiative executive director James A. Goldston discusses the need for a new approach to rule of law reform, emphasizing local expertise and mutual learning between the global north and south.
Legal Clinics: Serving People, Improving Justice
This brochure describes the Open Society Justice Initiative's efforts to launch clinics in 12 countries, from Sierra Leone to Cambodia to Afghanistan.
New Report from Turkey Finds Accused Lack Legal Representation
An empirical study of legal aid in Istanbul jointly undertaken by the Open Society Justice Initiative and Istanbul Bilgi University found that only 10 percent of criminal defendants in Istanbul are represented by a lawyer.
Justice Initiatives: Pretrial Detention
This publication looks at the global overreliance on pretrial detention and examines the challenges of reducing and reforming its use.
Legal Aid Law Adopted in Moldova
The Moldovan parliament voted unanimously to approve a new legal aid law developed by a working group which benefited from extensive consultations with the Open Society Justice Initiative.
New Legal Aid Law Adopted in Georgia
A new legal aid law adopted in Georgia introduces a full-fledged model of public defenders as legal aid providers, a development praised by the Open Society Justice Initiative.
Second Public Defender Office Launched in Ukraine
Ukraine's second pilot public defender office was launched last week in Bila Tsirkva, an initiative that is part of a project on legal aid reform in Ukraine operated by the Open Society Justice Initiative and the International Renaissance Foundation.
Ukraine Public Defender Office Promotes Rights of the Accused
A newly opened public defender office—a joint project of the Open Society Justice Initiative and two other civil society groups—recorded a major success last week when it was assured by Regional Director of Kharkiv Police that local police will...
Mexico Plans Its First Pretrial Services Agency
Mexican officials gathered in Chihuahua to plan the country's first pretrial services agency at a meeting organized and led by the Open Society Justice Initiative and its Mexican partner organization, Renace.
World Bank Awards Grant to Pioneering African Paralegal Nongovernmental Organization
Timap for Justice, a nongovernmental organization cofounded by the Open Society Justice Initiative and the Sierra Leonean National Forum for Human Rights, received an $879,000 grant today from the World Bank to provide justice services in Sierra Leone.
Open Society Justice Initiative Trains Lawyers in Combating Torture
Lawyers from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan join international human rights law experts this week for a practical seminar on strategic litigation to combat torture and ill-treatment organized by the Open Society Justice Initiative.
Ukraine President Approves Concept Paper for Improving Legal Aid
Ukraine President Viktor Yuschenko approved the Concept Paper on Reforming the Legal Aid System in Ukraine, taking an important step in the nation's process of improving access to justice, according to the Open Society Justice Initiative.