Events

26 March 2021: This webinar reviews the imposition of a “hard” lockdown on 26 March 2020 by the South African government. It forms part of a series on the "unwanted anniversary" from the various units of the Dullah Omar Institute. This webinar focuses on the balancing of rights and the use of the criminal justice system in imposing restrictions in South Africa.

17 March 2021: This webinar will review the 2019/2020 Annual Report of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).

3 March 2021: This webinar will review South Africa's Judicial Inspectorate for Correctional Services' Annual Report 2019/2021.

24 February 2021: This webinar will consider the 2019/2020 Annual Reports of the South Africa Police Service (SAPS) and South Africa's Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID), released later than usual in 2020 in South Africa.

16 February 2021: This webinar will review the 2019/2020 Annual Report of South Africa's Correctional Services.

19 November 2020: This webinar will reflect on the state of play concerning prisoners’ right to vote in Africa and also cast a light on near-future elections, such as in Uganda and Zambia scheduled for 2021.

11 November 2020: This webinar will explore and reflect on the provisions of the draft SAPS Amendment Bill 2020 which impact upon the role of provincial and local government in policing and law enforcement in South Africa.

03 November 2020: ACJR has distilled some proposed key areas of reform which are likely to have multiplier-benefit while maintaining a balance between benefit and achievability; the authors will discuss and seek comment from participants on these recommendations for reform in this webinar.

28 October 2020: Africa Criminal Justice Reform (ACJR) and the Civilian Secretariat for Police Services are hosting a webinar on 28 October 2020 on democratic policing and what this means for South Africa.

Virtual Regional Conference on Decriminalisation of Petty Offences in Africa

Sep 14, 2020 01:00 PM to Sep 16, 2020 04:00 PM — Virtual meeting | Zoom Webinar link: https://bit.ly/3aYHxxM

14 - 16 September: Virtual Regional Conference on Decriminalisation of Petty Offences in Africa.

12 August 2020: Africa Criminal Justice Reform (ACJR) is hosting a discussion with the Western Cape Provincial Police Ombudsman, Johan Brand, regarding his office’s 2019/20 Annual Performance Report. The Western Cape is the only province in South Africa with a Police Ombudsman and thus presents a unique opportunity to explore this institution.

4 Agosto 2020: Em muitos países, a lei permite a prisão preventiva para garantir a comparência do acusado em julgamento. O Estudo sobre o Impacto Socioeconómico da Prisão Preventiva no Quénia, Zâmbia e Moçambique procurou confirmar e quantificar o impacto socioeconómico de tal detenção para os reclusos, suas famílias, e agregados familiares, nos principais centros urbanos dos três países.

23 July 2020: Webinar on Life imprisonment in South Africa and the world

15, 16, 21 and 22 July 2020: Africa Criminal Justice Reform (ACJR) will host a series of four one-hour webinars about the National Prosecuting Authority in July 2020 with a particular emphasis on the way forward. An independent prosecution authority, free from political interference, is fundamental to any democracy’s criminal justice system. South Africa created a new National Prosecuting Authority in 1998, which is the linchpin of accountability and for responding to crime in South Africa. No other entity has the original power to prosecute. The appointment and dismissal process of the National Director of Public Prosecution (NDPP) and other senior prosecutors is key to the independence and accountability of its functioning. Performance of the prosecuting authority should be anchored on the rule of law, accountability, public interest and trust. Looking to the future we need to acknowledge what went wrong with the NPA, but also take lessons and see how we can develop solutions relating to law, policy and practice reform. Ultimately, we are seeing a prosecution service that enjoys legitimacy because it is trusted by the public to act in the broad public interest. ACJR will launch a series of infographics at each webinar to stimulate the discussions. The interactive webinars will be facilitated by Lukas Muntingh, Jean Redpath and Kristen Petersen from ACJR.

2 June 2020: Africa Criminal Justice Reform (ACJR) will facilitate a webinar discussion on COVID-19 and petty offences and its impact on marginalized groups in West Africa. Governments across Africa have put measures as a response to the COVID-19 global pandemic, through the establishment of either states of emergencies or states of disasters. While these and other additional measures are a response to the crisis, the enforcement of lockdown regulations has also created new sets of petty offences which previously did not exist. The poor and marginalized are worst impacted as many have been forced to breach the rules and regulations for the purposes of survival. Members of the campaign on the Decriminalisation of Petty Offences in Africa will have a general discussion on the COVID-19 regulations in their respective countries, addressing the impact thereof on persons (including vulnerable groups such as women and girls) and highlighting their organizational efforts and recommendations to addressing an appropriate response to dealing with the pandemic. Panelists will include representatives from South Africa, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Guinea Conakry. Date: Thursday, 4th June 2020 Time: 11:00am (GMT) 12:00pm (WAT) 13:00pm (SAST) Register in advance for this meeting on Zoom: https://uwc.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJctfuChrD8iHt2fRX3H2m8jRCIlRed-00G2 After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

12 May 2020: ACJR's Jean Redpath was a discussant in a seminar hosted by the Institute for Security Studies discussing the Minister of Police's claim that the drop in crime during lockdown could be attributed to the ban on the sale of alcohol.

9 March 2020: ACJR's Jean Redpath presented at an internal consultation session with senior managers of the NPA.

11 December 2019: ACJR researcher Janelle Mangwanda presented at a roundtable meeting held at Ford Foundation in Banana Island, Lagos, Nigeria, hosted by the African Policing Civilian Oversight Forum (APCOF).

04 December 2019: Representatives from Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa and Uganda met in Cape Town to review a draft assessment tool developed by Africa Criminal Justice Reform. The purpose of the meeting was to elicit comments on the draft assessment tool to be used to engage with policy makers and government officials regarding the decriminalisation and declassification of petty laws.

20 November 2019: Hosted by the Dullah Omar Institute (DOI) and Public Affairs Research Institute (PARI). The Constitution and the NPA Act provide that the National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) is appointed by the President, who may also, after consultation with the NDPP and Minster of Justice, appoint up to four Deputy National Directors of Public Prosecution (DNDPP). The President similarly appoints the Provincial Directors of Public Prosecutions (PDPP). This rather opaque process remained in place until Right2Know brought a court application in 2018 that the interviews for the position of NDPP should be conducted in public. Right2Know was successful and the interviews that resulted in the appointment of Adv. Shamila Batohi as NDPP set an important precedent In August 2019 the Deputy National Director of Public Prosecutions (DNDPP) Silas Ramaite took early retirement. Given the workload and demands on the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) it is essential that the vacancy be filled. Since the DNDPP and the NDPP are both appointed by the President, it follows that the precedent set in the appointment of Adv. Batohi must now also be followed in filling the vacancy left by the departure of Ramaite, or is it that simple? Why is it that the President that must appoint the Deputies and not the NDPP that appoints her Deputies? Please join us for a roundtable discussion on reviewing the appointment of the leadership of the NPA with the aim to develop proposals for law, practice and policy reform. Presentations by Lukas Muntingh (DOI), Jean Redpath (DOI) and Florencia Belvedere (PARI).

10 October 2019: ACJR together with other Civil Society Organizations launched the South African campaign on decriminalisation and declassification of petty by-laws.

23 July 2019: ACJR will be conducting a workshop with police and other stakeholders on democratic policing, in Blantyre.

9 July 2019: ACJR and the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) are co-hosting a morning seminar on 9 July 2019 with three esteemed journalists to explore the links between state accountability and the media:

27-28 June 2019: ACJR will be conducting a workshop with police and other stakeholders on democratic policing, in Lusaka.

28 May 2019: The aim of this study was to investigate the socio-economic impact of remand detention on accused persons and their families and dependents. The evidence in this study suggests that the criminal procedural system metes out a disproportionate “punishment” in the form of infringement of the socio-economic rights of the families of detainees, regardless of guilt or innocence.

15 May 2019: ACJR will be conducting a workshop with police and other stakeholders on democratic policing, in Nairobi.

27-29 March 2019: The objectives of the workshop include the following: 1. To provide information and data on SDG 16.3 (access to justice) and the HLPF scheduled to take place in July 2019. 2. To develop strategies with a view to ensuring the visibility and active participation of civil society groups from Africa during the HLPF in July 2019. 3. To build capacity of civil society groups in Africa to understand and engage with the Voluntary National Review process. 4. To allow for cross-fertilisation of knowledge and ideas on access to justice between civil society groups in Africa and other regions, particularly from countries such as Indonesia and Mongolia.

27-28 March 2019: In partnership with Reformar, ACJR will be conducting workshop with police and other stakeholders on the nine dimensions for democratic policing in Maputo.

8 March 2019: The purpose of the workshop is to consult civil society on the independence and mandate of the Inspectorate.

3-4 October 2018: In Accra, Ghana, 15 civil society organisations and five National Human Rights Institutions (NHRI) meet to develop sub-regional strategies to ensure the dissemination and implementation of the African Commission’s Principles on the Decriminalisation of Petty Offences in Africa, and to strengthen collaboration between the ACHPR, NHRIs and civil society organisations.