Project Name: Justice and Prison Reform for Promoting Human Rights and preventing Corruption in Bangladesh (JPRPHRPC)

Project Introduction:

The Bangladesh Government’s key national strategy document is the Seventh Five-Year Plan (2016-2020), which identifies the need for comprehensive judicial reform, including improved legal aid and case-processing. The criminal justice system is chronically underfinanced and seen as corrupt. It offers limited legal aid, particularly to vulnerable groups. As a consequence, many pre-trial detainees spend long periods of time in prison waiting for their cases to be resolved. The level of overcrowding in many prisons is beyond 200%. As Justice Audit findings show one reason for this is that too many cases unnecessarily end up in the formal criminal justice system because people are not fully aware of alternatives to the formal system, such as village courts or mediation services. Prisoners also lack access to rehabilitation and reintegration services.

This global crisis has shown that prisons worldwide belong to the most vulnerable institutions in a society. In Bangladesh, the overcrowding of prisons by 200% worsens the situation for prisoners on a large scale. The case backlog in courts of 3.5 million cases, and a lack of coordinated approaches of criminal justice institutions are big challenges which are becoming now with restricted movements and very limited functionality of public institutions even bigger challenges. Additionally, the lack of medical staff and equipment in prisons as well as the absence of systematic sentence planning/risk assessment of prisoners exacerbates the prisoners’ vulnerability. Co-financier DFID has approached the Justice and Prison Reform Project to rededicate funds and develop a set of immediate and medium-term response measures to reduce the negative impact of covid-19 on the most vulnerable, including women and prisoners. A coordinated approach with DAM, ICRC, other GIZ projects, the Prison Department and the Law Ministry has been agreed. The focus of the coordinated approach will be on access to cash, food, health facilities and justice services for the most vulnerable, including (released) prisoners and women. Focus will also be placed on combining legal advice where necessary with counselling and support especially for women who find themselves trapped within their homes and increasingly vulnerable to domestic violence. In addition, continued support to the justice sector to ensure stability in the country and improve the trust in the government institutions after the crisis is needed

Project Agreement Number: 83383273

Overall Objective: Objective of the programme is that, the justice sector adopts new reform approaches based on good examples of working practices of institutional cooperation and to build up the necessary capacities from selected pilot districts by 2021 and operate in three main areas: Institutional Strengthening- Institutions of the criminal justice system are strengthened, Evidence Based Policy Advocacy- Selected policies, laws and regulations become responsive and evidence-based, Access for the Vulnerable – Enhance access to the justice system for the poor and vulnerable.

Specific Objectives: The justice sector adopts new reform approaches based on good examples of working practices of institutional cooperation from selected pilot sites.

Specific Objectives: The justice sector adopts new reform approaches based on good examples of working practices of institutional cooperation from selected pilot sites.

Outputs:

Project Components:
Partnership with Prison Directorate, Department of Narcotics Control, Department of Social Service and other coordination forum in district level
b. Evidence based policy advocacy
c. Capacity building of Prison Directorate, Department of Narcotics Control
d. Rehabilitation and Reintegration for the Prisoners
e. Provide Skill development training for the prisoners
f. Provide Drug counseling for the vulnerable Prisoners

Major Activities:
Support to implement COVID-19 response measures and ensure access to justice for vulnerable. Providing cash/food support for vulnerable households, Conduct Orientation Training (online) to Doctors, Health Personnel and non-health Personnel on COVID-19 including Mental health (online) across 68 prisons, legal  and judicial officers, provide information packages on health instructions for released prisoners, provide health instructions for released prisoners, provided training on basic mental health issues to prison staffs, Livelihood support to released prisoners.

Project Participants (Direct):  Prisoners

Project Duration: 01 July 2021 to 31 December 2022

Financial partner (Donor): GIZ and FCDO

Implementing partner (if any):

Project Location/s and number of Field offices:  Dhaka

Project Budget: BDT 9,300,466/-

Number of project staffs and volunteers:

Contact Person: Iqbal Masud, Director, Health & Wash Sector of DAM
Email: iqbalmasud@amic.org.bd , iq.masud@gmail.com, Cell: 01714-088968