Beliefs

PRAWA believes in the importance of an effective, just, humane and accessible justice system which recognizes support and rehabilitation to offenders, victims and the community. The organization has implemented extensive activities in the field of prisons and penal reforms as well as several innovative prison-based and community-based programmes.

Achievements

In 1998, PRAWA through the support of the British Council introduced the first Alternative to Justice Programme in West Africa which trained the first batch of 66 volunteers in partnership with AVP UK.

It also introduced the Family Link Project (1998/99), Prison Link Project (1999/2000) and several training programme across Nigeria on International Human Rights Standards, Good Prison Practice and Prevention of Torture for criminal justice agents (including prison, police and judicial officers) and other related stakeholders over the years and to date trained over 10,000 persons on this.  Several institutions have supported these training such as the British High Commission, Switzerland Embassy (Ghana), European Union through Penal Reform International, Switzerland Embassy (Nigeria), and OAK Fund/IRCT.

From 2000 – 2002 PRAWA with funding from the Innovative Fund on the Social Development Dept. of DFID London introduced the African Trans-formative Justice Project (ATJP) in Nigeria (Lagos), Ghana (Accra) and The Gambia (Banjul) with the following activities:

• Victim-Offender Mediation and Reconciliation Services.
• Basic Information Scheme (for pre-trial, trial and post-trial stages).
• Family Group Conferencing, Community Justice Forum.
• Alternatives to Imprisonment – Community Service Scheme.

PRAWA also in 2003 with funding from STATOIL-NORWAY introduced the Crime Prevention and Community Development Scheme (CP-CDS) in three communities in Abia and Imo States. This project involved the training of community leaders and volunteers on Life Planning Skills, Crime Prevention and Reduction of Offending Behaviour, and Income Generating Skills. The scheme also established an income generating project as well as none-interest yearly revolving loan scheme in each of the 3 communities. From 2008 – 2009,

PRAWA through the support of the Security Justice and Growth Programme DFID implemented the Prison De-congestion and Re-entry Scheme in Enugu State.