Result of Service
7. EXPECTED OUTPUTS AND DELIVERABLES:
• A comprehensive National Correctional Policy of Uganda developed
• Validation meeting on the draft correctional policy is conducted with various stakeholders.
• A roadmap for the national correctional working group to benchmark the implementation of the corrections policy s developed.
• A tailored project proposal for technical assistance to implement the corrections policy is developed jointly with the National Technical Working Group Work Location
Kampala
Expected duration
from18 July to 31 October 2022 (35 working days). Duties and Responsibilities
1. BACKGROUND OF THE ASSIGNMENT:
The United Nations Office on Drug and Crime (UNODC) provides technical assistance related to combating terrorism, organized crime, corruption, and drugs to Member States. This assistance also supports States in strengthening criminal justice and health systems in ratifying and implementing international conventions and protocols in compliance with the rule of law and human rights.
In Uganda, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is implementing the joint global programme “Supporting the management of violent extremist prisoners and the prevention of radicalization to violence in prisons”. This global initiative aims to strengthen the capacity of prison services to manage violent extremist prisoners effectively and to respond to the challenge of potential radicalization to violence in prison as part of a broader prison reform effort in full compliance with international human rights standards, including the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (the Nelson Mandela Rules).
2. AN OVERVIEW
The Republic of Uganda, through the Justice Law and Order Sector (JLOS), has implemented various programmes to ensure peace, security and prosperity for all citizens through the observance of law and order. However, since colonial times, the embedment of rehabilitation, safe custody, reintegration or corrections in general in the justice law and order sector has not been adequately backed up by a legal, policy and institutional framework. To this end, the corrections institutions spearheaded by the Uganda Prisons Service embarked on a process to galvanize all national and sub-national stakeholders to develop a National Policy on Corrections.
This process commenced in 2018 with the formation of a technical working group, and since then, a concept paper has been developed, and a situation analysis has been carried out, which resulted in a Regulatory Impact Assessment Report that was compiled and approved, amongst the many other assignments that this committee has achieved. In summary, phase I of the process has been completed, and phase II has commenced.
The reform agenda as espoused by the corrections policy will steer the institutions into conformity and in tandem with the Mandela Rules and other international provisions and provide opportunities for future prison reform programming in Uganda.
3. NATIONAL CONTEXT
The correction system in Uganda consists of the following institutions mandated to manage persons accused or convicted of criminal offences. These include Uganda Prison Service (UPS) and National Community Service Orders Programme (NCS) for adult offences and Probation Services and Juvenile Justice under the Ministry responsible for Gender, Labour and Social Development. Other actors like the Uganda Police Force (UPF) handle the investigation, the Court of Law that handles court cases and community level establishments that are responsible for community development, probation, social welfare and support services, including psychosocial support to prisoners. The challenge has been that these institutions have different mandates which are being implemented autonomously in a non-cohesive and disjointed manner – acting under their goodwill. There is no formal structure through which other correctional actors can be jointly held accountable for challenges along the correctional value chain. The institutions mandated to implement correctional services are ill-equipped to manage these enormous tasks. In addition, there is a lack of critical staff with the capacity to design and implement evidence-based rehabilitation programmes. There is no particular reference document to guide corrections and, consequently, limited correctional programmes (most of which are ad-hoc and out of institutional improvisation). This situation is leading to sustained levels of reoffending and crime. Moreover, there was limited support for non-custodial sentence mechanisms like issuing bail, parole, half-way-home and community service. In light of the above, a more fused system is required to enable close collaboration of probation, prisons’ social and clinical rehabilitation officers, and community service officers in effectively intervening to ensure psychosocial counselling, rehabilitation, skilling, and reintegration aftercare.
4. THE PROBLEM
Lack of a comprehensive national correction mechanism; congestion in gazetted places caused by prison overcrowding, inadequate rehabilitation and reintegration programmes, and corruption lead to grievances (actual or perceived) unique to the prison context that may, under certain circumstances, render prisoners become more susceptible to being radicalized to violence. The correctional landscape is characterized by poor probation service delivery (skewed to social welfare), limited options within the current legislation for sentence management, weak support for community service and other non-custodial mechanisms and a rigid organization and institutional set-up and mindsets not supportive of corrections. In addition, there has been a limited focus and support for juvenile custody and rehabilitation due to an inappropriately domiciled function for juvenile justice. Uganda, like other countries, is not isolated from the influx of foreign influences that have increased the incidences of cyber and sophisticated crime. All these challenges are being faced with limited capacity to deliver psychosocial support to offenders and a lack of a comprehensive mechanism for reintegration. Overall, the lack of a comprehensive offender rehabilitation model has sustained recidivism and a high crime rate – detrimental to the Vision 2040 - of achieving a transformed crime-free society in Uganda.
5. THE SOLUTION:
The solution is to develop and implement a national corrections policy that will;
1. Facilitate the institutional changes in the correction sector
2. Promote the use of non-custodial measures and proportionate sentencing
3. Improve prospects for the social reintegration of offenders as a result of rehabilitative prison environments and community-based support services
Out of this context, the policy is being developed to achieve the following specific objectives
i. To develop a comprehensive national correctional mechanism
ii. To reduce congestion in correctional institutions
iii. To establish a comprehensive mechanism for social reintegration
iv. To strengthen the legal framework for community corrections
v. To reinforce and streamline probation services
vi. To promote gender-responsive prison and probation management approaches
vii. To improve conditions for juvenile custody and rehabilitation; and
viii. To reduce vulnerability for radicalization to violence in prisons Qualifications/special skills
Academic Qualifications: • Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in criminology, law, social sciences, business administration, or related discipline is required. A first level university degree in similar fields in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
Experience: • At least 15 years of professional work experience in criminal justice-related areas, in particular prison administrations, with a proven focus on prison and penal reform or aspects pertaining hereto is required;
• In-depth knowledge of the current state of good prison management and related evidence-based good practices is required;
• Strong research and coordination skills, analytical capacities and ability to synthesize complex inputs into coherent support is required;
• Ability to develop practical and user-friendly tools/policy in the field of prison and penal reform is required;
• Extensive knowledge of the strategic and policy directions of prison trends globally and experience in developing national correctional policies, programmes and reform processes in the corrections sector is desirable;
• Understanding of international standards and norms in crime prevention and criminal justice, in particular, the Nelson Mandela Rules, preferably complemented by exposure to delivering technical assistance on prison management–related issues at the international level, including in low- and middle-income countries is desirable.
• English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this post, fluency in oral and written English is required. Knowledge of another official United Nations language is an advantage. Fluency and excellent writing skills in English.
No Fee
THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.
This vacancy is archived.