Law students reach out to inmates

BEING incarcerated is not the end of one’s road. It is merely a bump in the road, and one which can be overcome.

This was the silver thread of a message a group of final-year law students from the University of Namibia (Unam) conveyed to some 70 inmates in the largest correctional facility in the country this week.

As part of their legal aid and professional ethics module, all fourth-year bachelor of law students need to engage in an impact project.

According to Caillin Basson, the driving force behind the Namibia Inmates Legal Awareness (Nila) project, their group decided to embark on this project in order to empower inmates and teach them about their rights, especially the fundamental rights and freedoms enshrined in the Constitution.

“Against this backdrop, the firm Plato deemed it apt to empower inmates housed in Namibia’s correctional facilities by compiling a booklet, outlining the rights and/or privileges peculiar to them with special emphasis on bail, appeal, parole, prescription and remission of sentence,” the foreword in the booklet explains.

In light of the fact that many inmates might not be familiar with their human rights, a decision was made to reach out to this marginalised community.

Authorities at the Windhoek Correctional Facility decided that a group of 70 men, currently housed in what is called Unit 4, would be the appropriate audience for the intervention.

Inmates who have already been convicted and sentenced on one or more offenses, but have more pending charges, reside in this unit.

Amongst others, the group, accompanied by senior law faculty lecturer Kandali Nuugwedha, brought inmates up to speed as far as what constitutes bail, when it is allowed, when one may apply for it and who is eligible to apply.

Of particular interest to this target group was how appeals function within the Namibian legislative framework.

In the first instance, it was explained what exactly constitutes an appeal.

Secondly, the group was told who may file for an appeal and how the process works in both a lower and a high court.

A similar procedure, that of remission of sentence, was also alluded to. Under this topic, inmates heard that, with the exception of a number of offenses, one may qualify for a remission of one’s sentence as a reward for good conduct while in custody.

Some of the exclusions relate to those serving life sentences, those convicted of, amongst others, murder and rape, the law students explained. A number of the inmates engaged the students with further questions.

The firm is travelling to Walvis Bay soon, where they will address female inmates about similar topics.