A pilot project to provide defense counsel for indigent Ugandans accused of crimes in Mukono Magistrate's Court. The Ugandan Judiciary is implementing plea-bargaining into the criminal justice system to reduce case backlog and pretrial detention. Ugandans accused of lower level offenses in Magistrate's Courts do not have the guaranteed right to counsel. In order to facilitate the expansion of plea-bargaining in the Magistrate's Courts and ensure access to justice for all Ugandans, the Judiciary is piloting a public defender project. We will measure the cost savings of this pilot, with more cases resolving through plea bargains and reducing pretrial detention.

This project is hiring two Ugandan advocates to be trained as public defenders. The advocates will work full time in Mukono Magistrate's Court to provide defense counsel to all indigent accused individuals. These advocates will be trained in criminal defense advocacy and plea bargaining. They will facilitate the implementation of plea bargaining at the Magistrate's Court level. The advocates will be managed by the Pepperdine project manager who coordinates with the Technical Advisor the Judiciary. The project is monitored and evaluated by International Justice Mission staff.

This is an initiative of the Ugandan Judiciary. It is supported by Pepperdine University's Global Justice Program. Pepperdine has a memorandum of understanding with the Justice, Law, and Order Sector of the Ugandan government. This allows for effective partnerships between the Judiciary and Pepperdine. Pepperdine provides experts and technical assistance through the presence of a project manager and the organization of conferences and trainings. International Justice Mission supports this initiative due to its long standing presence in Mukono Magistrate's Court. This initiative is overseen by the Pepperdine project manager working directly with the Technical Advisor to the Judiciary.

Ugandan Judiciary Pepperdine University School of Law International Justice Mission