Stakeholders Call for Innovative Approaches in the Administration of Criminal Justice in Nigeria

CLEEN Foundation organized a 2 day training workshop for Civil Society Organizations and Media practitioners on the Administration of Criminal Justice (ACJ) Act, 2015 on 18th and 19th October 2017. The workshop sought to sensitize the participants on the provisions of the Act and work with them to develop strategies to increase advocacy for the full implementation of the Act and monitor the relevant agencies compliance with the roles as provided under the Act.

Fifty (50) participants drawn from civil society organizations across the six geo-political zones, media and Observatory on Criminal Justice Administration in Nigeria over the two days of the training, were informed about the key provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice (ACJ) Act, 2015 and its application,  strategies for monitoring, advocacy and engagement with stakeholders on ACJA 2015, Data and Information Gathering and Collection using the ACJ Indicator System and Strategies for Effective Communication and Reporting on ACJA 2015.  Summary of findings from a first round of public perception survey on Administration of Criminal Justice in Nigeria conducted by CLEEN Foundation was also presented to participants.

At the end of the training, the following observations and recommendations were made:

Observations:

1. The Act provides for the promotion and protection of human rights of suspects/victims as enshrined in the Nigeria Constitution;

2. The sustainability of criminal justice reforms is hinged on the integrity and leadership of the key criminal justice institutions to make them work;

3. State administration of criminal laws are most important as 90% of criminal cases are prosecuted at the state level hence the need for states to adopt and domesticate the provision of ACJA 2015;

4. The current trend in states that have adopted the ACJA show that states are making fundamental variations to key provisions particularly in the area of Remand proceedings which is contravening the intent and purpose of the ACJA 2015;

5. The level of awareness about the ACJA amongst the relevant criminal justice actors and general public is very low which is also affecting the successful compliance and implementation of the Act;

6. The deplorable state and lack of infrastructure, logistics and knowledge gap in the criminal justice institutions are contributing factors to the slow implementation amongst the relevant agencies.

7. The media and civil society groups are key to driving advocacy for the ACJA to work

8. There still exist gaps in the ACJA such as in the area of payment of compensation for victims; payment of witness expenses etc which also impact on the law's successful implementation and areas that CSOs and media should also beam the search light on.

Recommendations:

1. Public sensitization and awareness creation on the key and innovative provisions of the ACJA 2015 for the personnel of the criminal justice agencies and general public is fundamental for the successful implementation of the Act;

2.  Monitoring state domestication of the ACJA is crucial to ensure that the object and intent of the law is not lost;

3. Need for CSOs and Media practitioners to be fully abreast with the provisions of the law to be able to strategically engage the different criminal justice institutions on their roles as provided in the Act;

4. The need for training and retraining of police personnel on the expectations of the Act as they are the gate keepers and entry point into the criminal justice system and other actors rely on them for prosecution of criminal cases;

5. The need to form synergy between the civil society organizations and the media to bring about the desired results.

6. Finally, participants agreed to use the lessons learnt to interface with relevant stakeholders in the criminal justice system (including the Observatory on Criminal Justice Administration in Nigeria), popularize the ACJ Act among their stakeholders, and monitor its implementation while also advocating for adoption of the Act in states where it is yet to be passed.

The 2-day training workshop and other activities under CLEEN Foundation Project on 'Monitoring the Criminal Justice Administration Reform Process in Nigeria’ is supported by MacArthur Foundation.

Call for Expression of Interest: Baseline Study in Kafanchan, Kaduna State

The CLEEN Foundation (formerly known as Centre for Law Enforcement Education) is a non-governmental organization established in January 1998 with the mission of promoting public safety, security, and accessible justice through empirical research, legislative advocacy, demonstration programs and publications, in partnership with government and civil society.

Applications are invited from suitably qualified researchers for the position below:

Job Title: Consultant – Baseline Study and Stakeholders’ Analysis on Strengthening Community Resilience through Peace Building
Location: Kafanchan, Kaduna State
Type of Contract: Short-term ( 2 weeks)

 Background

Youth restiveness and violence has become a recurring decimal in Northern Nigeria. For instance, it has taken the form of terrorist attacks and has become one of the critical problems facing the nation.  Some rural communities and schools are fast becoming the breeding grounds for youth radicalization and have the unenviable reputation of being seen as a ‘wasteland’ for the poorest of the poor, ravaged by violent crimes, unruly juveniles who frequently drop out of schools, poverty and unemployment. Kaduna State has been embroiled in perennial conflicts between herdsmen and community members that have led to the loss of lives and destruction of properties worth millions of Naira. Despite several efforts by the state security actors, the conflict has continued to reoccur from one reprisal attack to the other. In recent attacks in Southern Kaduna communities; investigative media reports have established that the youth are found culpable in the wake of the incidence which led to the loss of lives; burning of houses; displacement of people and destruction of farmlands.

While government's response has been the deployment of security agencies to troubled spots in the state, there is the immediate need for complimentary strategies which entail trust building for better understanding, cohesion and tolerance among warring community members (particularly the youths) hence, the focus of this project.

 Broad Project Objective

This project seeks to foster peace in the conflict-ridden communities in Southern Kaduna in Kaduna State towards building resilient and peaceful communities. This will be achieved through identification of key stakeholders and influencers within the communities that will participate and drive the trust, social cohesion and confidence building activities of our interventions. The project will leverage on existing community structures to identify vulnerable youths who are susceptible to violence and others who can serve as peace advocates in Kafanchan, Kaduna State.

Scope of Work

The successful Consultant will facilitate a concise mapping exercise through Focused Group Discussions (FGD) and Key Informant Interview (KII) to gain an in-depth understanding of the institutional landscape as well as identify existing resilience structures in the focal community. The output of the mapping study will aid the interventions of CLEEN Foundation regarding the identification of project beneficiaries and prioritization of identified concerns relating to youth vulnerability to violence and their potential involvement in peace building in the focal community.

Specific Objective of the Consultancy

To conduct a baseline study and stakeholders’ analysis on strengthening community resilience through peacebuilding in Kafancha, Kaduna state

Key Responsibilities

• ·         Coordinate a baseline assessment working with CLEEN Foundation staff and partners through the utilization of data collection tools
• ·         Undertake a literature review utilizing publicly available information and documentation
• ·         Oversee data collation and entry, and to undertake data analysis
• ·         Compile and submit a Baseline Assessment Report to CLEEN Foundation

Lines of Reporting/Position in team

·         The Consultant will work closely with the Research and Strategy Department of CLEEN Foundation

Competencies and Required Skills

• ·         The consultant must be available in Kafanchan, Kaduna State to carry out the study. The deadline for the report will be 20^th November, 2017
• ·         Demonstrable experience of producing high-quality, credible social science research
• ·         Excellent spoken and written English
• ·         Knowledge of research, monitoring and evaluation methodologies, including quantitative and qualitative research methods.
• ·         Knowledge of conflict, violence, trends and track records of community engagement issues (desirable)
• ·         Excellent computer skills
• ·         Familiarity with the geography of the research location

Application Closing Date
31^st October, 2017

How to Apply
Interested and qualified individuals should submit their proposals, with the experience and skills described above to: cleen@cleen.org which must include the following:

• ·         A Cover Letter introducing the researcher and how the skills and competencies described above are met, with concrete examples.
• ·         A 1-page outline of the proposed assessment process and methodology.
• ·         An overview of consultant’s academic qualifications/CVs with relevant experience (maximum of 3 pages) including two referees conversant with their work.
• ·         A sample of a previous assessment or research report(s)

Note: Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and successful applicant will be notified on 5^th November, 2017

Call for Expression of Interest (EOI) Experienced and Qualified Data Collectors on Digitizing Courts Proceedings in Ekiti and Ondo states

Date of EOI: 9th October, 2017
Closing Date of the EOI:     31st October, 2017
Email EOI to: cleen@cleen.org


1. Purpose of Expression of Interest(EOI)

CLEEN Foundation seeks Expression of Interest (EOI) from qualified Civil Society Organizations and Law Firms working in the area of administration of criminal justice in Nigeria to be part of a team who will be responsible for data collection on the digitization of courts proceedings and rulings on corruption cases across selected states in Nigeria (Ekiti and Ondo states).

2. Background
Information on court proceedings and court rulings relating to corruption cases is not readily available in the public space. This is coupled with the fact that government actors are yet to embrace the culture of online record keeping. The opportunity presented by this project is that proactive disclosure of information pertaining to court proceedings on corruption will be tracked, documented and disseminated for the use of relevant stakeholders. It is also aimed at improving the efficiency, transparency and impartiality of the Judiciary and other stakeholders in processing corruption cases with respect to the administration of criminal justice system in Nigeria.

• It is against this background that a competent and reliable state level data collection team is proposed on the CLEEN Foundation Project- “Promoting Accountability and Transparency in the Administration of Criminal Justice System in Nigeria”, for the purpose of collation and documentation of corruption cases at the state level. The team will drive the implementation of the project on the Digitization of Court Proceedings and Rulings. The uwazidocs open source application (a web/mobile-based platform) will be deployed and adapted to enable the data collectors to scan, upload, publish documents and create table of contents while end users can search, filter documents, track changes, cross reference and download documents/court rulings. (The data is to be sourced from the state and Federal High Courts in the focal states on a weekly basis)

3. Objective of the Project
To make credible information on the proceedings and rulings on corruption cases available and easily accessible online to stakeholders.

4. Scope of Work
The members of the team will be responsible for the following:
• Work with court officials and selected partners in the focal states to obtain credible data on court proceedings and rulings relating to corruption, accountability and transparency in the administration of criminal justice system in Nigeria,                                                                                             
• The collected data on court rulings on cases of corruption will be uploaded on the online platform. (The data is to be sourced from the State and Federal High Courts in the focal states on a weekly basis)
• Enhance judicial accountability and transparency in the criminal justice system in Nigeria in line with the provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015.


5. Requirements 
All interested organizations and firms must submit the following:

1. A Cover Letter with evidence of relevant past work experience(s)  in the area of criminal justice administration;
2. Certificate of Registration in Nigeria;
3. A recent annual report/newsletter; and
4. 2 Referees conversant with the work of the organization or law firm.
6. Submission of Expression of Interest(EOI)

All submissions should be sent to cleen@cleen.org no later than close of business on Tuesday, 17th October, 2017.  Interested organisations in the selected states are strongly encouraged to apply.


If you have any additional questions about this Call for Expression of Interest (EOI), please email ruth.okugbeni@cleen.org or ademola.adewuyi@cleen.org No phone calls please.



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