Activities

Legal Clinics

CELA legal officers conduct interviews with individuals at prisons or jails in order to find those who require legal aid due either to a lack of means or violation of their rights.  These initiatives produce a large number of cases of individuals who have overstayed on remand without trial, have been found guilty without a fair trial, or are victims of human rights abuses.  CELA concentrates our efforts on the particularly vulnerable, including women, minors, and the elderly or infirm, though our services are available to all in need.  Where an individual has presented a compelling case, CELA officers will conduct further investigation to corroborate their statements, and if it is found that aid can be provided, it wil be done with the help of a member lawyer.

CELA conducts legal clinics on a regular basis to ensure those in need receive help in a timely manner.

Camp Courts

Due to the extreme backlog of cases in the Malawian prison system, many times the accused will wait for an unreasonable amount of time for their case to be brought to court.  CELA facilitates camp courts in order to prevent those being held on remand for relatively minor offenses from being kept in prison without a fair trial.  Camp courts bring the instrumentalities of the court room to the accused to expedite the processes, resulting in outcomes such as release on bail, trial date for open court, fines levied and paid, unconditional release, or in special circumstances, referral to relevant authorities.

Over the last 18 months, beginning in early 2010, CELA conducted 16 camp courts throughout Malawian prisons.