Hope Behind Bars Africa

History 

Overview:

Hope Behind Bars is a dynamic social enterprise dedicated to transforming Nigeria's criminal justice system by leveraging technology, evidence-based advocacy, and legal aid. Established in 2018, the organization has made a significant impact, reaching out to over 7,000 justice-involved individuals with a range of innovative initiatives.

Core Program Areas:

• Diversionary and Restorative Justice: Hope Behind Bars Africa is committed to enhancing access to justice for marginalized individuals within the criminal justice system.

• Support for Incarcerated Individuals: The organization provides crucial support to incarcerated individuals, enabling them to regain control of their lives, uphold their rights, responsibilities, and aspirations while in prison, and facilitating their reintegration into society.

• Criminal Justice Strengthening: Through data-driven strategies and advocacy, Hope Behind Bars Africa actively works to strengthen the criminal justice system, promoting fairness and equity.

• Data for Justice (Criminal Justice Tracker): The organization employs technology to track and analyze data relevant to the criminal justice system, providing critical insights and promoting transparency.

• Gender, Minorities & Criminal Justice System: Hope Behind Bars Africa is committed to addressing the unique challenges faced by gender and minority groups within the criminal justice system, working to ensure their rights and needs are met.

Guiding Principles:

• Stand in Solidarity: Hope Behind Bars Africa stands in solidarity with incarcerated individuals, empowering them to take charge of their lives and realize their rights and aspirations behind bars while also facilitating their reintegration into society.

• Work With Partners: The organization collaborates with like-minded partners who share common objectives, aiming to maximize the impact of their programs through strategic alliances and effective scaling.

• Ensure Accountability and Promote Responsibility: Hope Behind Bars Africa is dedicated to being accountable to incarcerated individuals, advocating for their rights and facilitating the fulfillment of obligations by both individuals and institutions towards those within the “‘criminal justice system.

Hope Behind Bars Africa's multi-faceted approach, combining technology, advocacy, and legal support, makes it a pioneering force in Nigeria's efforts to reform its criminal justice system. The organization's commitment to partnership, accountability, and promoting responsibility underscores its dedication to making a lasting and positive impact on the lives of justice-involved individuals.

Core Values

• Human rights for all: We believe in the advancement of a just, peaceful and equitable society that puts humanity first based on the universal fundamental principles of the international humanitarian law and the human rights conventions.

• Openness: We are open and accountable to the people and partners we serve, transparently sharing our results, stories and lessons. Integrity is embedded at the core of what we do. Open data and Open Justice is at the premise of our work.

• Empowerment: We empower our direct beneficiaries to take charge of their lives irrespective of their circumstances. Our team is empowered to bring about the change we seek.

Pursuit of Excellence: We pursue excellence in everything we do.