National Consultant to Audit prisons conditions and emerging needs in Uganda

Result of ServiceDevelop a detailed inception report and work plan for the consultancy Conduct desk review to analyse available information relating to the prison system in Uganda, including review of key documents. Conduct data collection through interviews with key stakeholders. Draft and share a draft report at stakeholder consultative and validation meeting. Submit a final report highlighting main deliverables, materials developed, challenges, risks and recommendations. Work LocationKampala Uganda Expected durationJuly- September 2024 Duties and ResponsibilitiesUnited Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is the Office of the UN Secretariat mandated to assist Member States in countering and preventing illicit drugs, crime, corruption, and terrorism. As part of its efforts to support Criminal Justice reform in Uganda, UNODC is collaborating with the criminal justice actors including the and Uganda Prison Service to implement a Five Year Programme on Strengthening Prevention and Criminal and Criminal Justice Programme in Uganda. The programme will implement Comprehensive and gender-responsive criminal justice and prison reforms with the aim to reduce the overuse of imprisonment and prison overcrowding, enhance prison-based rehabilitation programmes, prevent radicalization to violence in prisons and promote social reintegration of prisoners. This intervention is in line with expected outcome 3 of the Programme Uganda Prisons Service (UPS) is an organ of the state security established by Article 215 of the Constitution of the Republic of Uganda, 1995 (as amended). The Prisons Act, 2006, provides legal framework for its operations. The legislated mandate of UPS is Custody and Rehabilitation of offenders while the assigned mandate is Production of Cotton, Seed and Furniture for MDAs. The UPS is under the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and falls under the Governance and Security, and administration of Justice Programs of the National Development Plan III (NDP III). The Uganda Prisons Act 2006 provides the mandate and functions of Uganda Prisons Service. Section 3, spells out the key objective of the Service as “to contribute to the protection of all members of society by providing reasonable, safe, secure and humane custody and rehabilitation of offenders in accordance with universally accepted standards”; Uganda Prisons Service has 266 prisons with a daily average of 76,951 prisoners, controlled by 14,210 staff of various categories. The current holding capacity is for 20,996 prisoners (75,586 Sq. meters) with an occupancy rate of 365.1%. This means that on average, space for one prisoner is occupied by more than 3 prisoners. Prisons congestion is partly contributed to by high prisoner population growth rate compared to the growth rate of prisoner accommodation space. The Prisons Act, 2006 mandates the UPS to rehabilitate offenders and reintegrate them back into the community at the end of their term of imprisonment and after a successfully rehabilitation process aimed at reducing the rates of re-offending and promote public involvement in the offender rehabilitation and reintegration process. The Prisons Act, 2006, the Prisons standing Orders and the Prisons Rules and Regulations provide for alternatives to imprisonment (non-custodial sentencing mechanisms). These include fine payments, parole, license to be at large, Community Service among others. Currently Community Service and fine payments are the only alternatives to imprisonment being implemented on a small scale. There is therefore need for UPS to undertake an assessment of prisons conditions, identify emerging needs and better programming for the management of prisons and prisoners. The Uganda Prison Service with support from UNODC seeks to engage a consultant, the to undertake the rapid assessment of prison conditions, identify emerging needs and recommendations for better management of prisons and prisoners. The purpose of the assignment The purpose of the assignment is to undertake an assessment of prison conditions with a focus on their impact on offender classification & segregation in relations to Rehabilitation/Reintegration Programmes, Health of inmates and staff, safety and security of both inmates and staff, Human rights for staff, inmates and the public. It will also examine other emerging needs in the prison such as usage of drugs and explore other alternatives to imprisonment. Specific outputs to be performed by the consultant Under the overall supervision of the UNODC Head of Office in Uganda, the consultant will be responsible for the following set of activities as required: Assess current prison conditions of detention with focus on occupancy (infrastructure and sanitation) and its effects on health, care and Human rights for both staff and inmates; Where adverse conditions exist, to give causes and solutions of addressing them To conduct an assessment on prison conditions (infrastructure and security structures) and its impact on safety and security of inmates, staff and the pubic. Assessment of the causes and effects of prison congestion on the general administration of prisons. This assessment should also propose the interventions to be undertaken in respect of reducing prison overcrowding. Identification of existing drug treatment programs in prisons, assess their efficacy and effectiveness. Assessment of staff knowledge and understanding of the concepts of rehabilitation and reintegration, as well as alternatives to imprisonment Conduct and evaluate the status of implementation of alternatives to imprisonment within Uganda’s criminal justice system. Identify the challenges facing implementation of non-custodial mechanisms and possible mitigation interventions. Assessment of the effectiveness of non-custodial sentencing mechanisms, rehabilitation and reintegration of offenders and thereof, propose suitable arrangements for their implementation to achieve desired out comes. Evaluation of cross cutting issues relating to Gender, HIV/AIDS, Refugees and other marginalized categories of persons that interface with the criminal justice system, including the extent to which these issues are mainstreamed. And thereof, if required, propose strategies for their effective and efficient integration. Develop a costed work plan and clear breakdown of activities with clear timelines and outputs under each intervention Qualifications/special skillsAt least ten ( 10) years of professional work experience in criminal justice – related areas, in particular prison administrations, with a proven focus on the alternatives to imprisonment, community service or aspects pertaining hereto is required At least five years of prior work experience in the field of research, Policy development and conducting comprehensive assessment 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 international level, including in low- and middle-income countries is desirable 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 in the field of staff training is desirable. Demonstrate knowledge experience and skills in organizing and facilitating consultations and deploying sensitization/trainings workshops capacity building and coaching skills Comprehensive knowledge of current instructional theories and principles applicable to both online and instructor-led learning programs is desirable Development of creative and engaging training materials for an adult audience, in a variety of formats and user guides is desirable Working knowledge of criminal justice in Uganda or the East African region will be an added advantage LanguagesEnglish 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. Additional InformationNot available. No FeeTHE 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.