EVOLVE
Training and Capacity Building

Evolve seeks to build international partnerships to share criminal justice best practices.

 

Our experts have in the past worked closely with the Ugandan Judiciary, Court Staff, DPP, Law Society, Uganda Prison Service and other stakeholders to build capacity and deliver high quality training on critical criminal justice issues, ranging from sentencing to psychiatric illness, international capital punishment law to appellate drafting.

 

Through 2023-2024 Evolve will be creating online solutions to capacity build legal professionals in Uganda, and share international criminal justice expertise.

ODPP Training Platform

Evolve has worked with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions of Uganda, supported by FCDO and A4ID's ROLE UK program, to develop an online training platform for prosecutors.

 

The platform will grant the ODPP the ability to remotely deliver induction training courses to new prosecutors, and cascade down updating courses and resources to prosecutors across Uganda.

 

The project has involved building extensive digital resources, and training materials for new prosecutors covering prosecutorial duties, criminal law and procedure, case management, advocacy, and other critical competencies.

 

Pilot training courses will be delivered on the platform by Evolve in January 2023.

File Tracing

Lost case files continue to stall case progression and create case backlog, whilst unnecessarily prolonging custody for those who are exonerated on appeal.

 

Since 2014 Evolve has been assisting with locating missing files; a painstaking process of physical retrieval requiring countrywide searches and meticulous investigation.

 

From 2021-2022 Evolve re-organised the Ugandan Supreme Court Registry as a preventative measure against file loss, building a digital case database to render cases searchable and traceable in future. 

 

Since 2022 Evolve has been conducting a country-wide file tracing exercise in respect of all current death row, or Ministers Orders, inmates. 

Sentencing Guidelines

Evolve has been working with the Ugandan Judiciary since 2018 to develop new High Court Sentencing Guidelines.

 

Evolve organised a two day sentencing conference that took place as part of the 20th Annual Judge's conference in Uganda, presenting research on sentencing consistency, and on other sentencing themes.

 

In 2019 Evolve organised for a delegation of the Ugandan Sentencing Guidelines Committee to benchmark practices and systems in the UK.

 

New guidelines were finalised in 2022 and are pending being laid before Parliament. Evolve has provided expert input into their provisions and will assist with implementation, training, and impact monitoring.

Research

Evolve conducts research into issues affecting the criminal justice system. 

 

In 2018 we presented research into sentencing inconsistencies arising out of the functioning of the 2013 High Court Sentencing Guidelines to the Ugandan Judiciary. 

 

Since 2018 Evolve has been monitoring sentencing trends in Uganda and building legal resources for criminal legal professionals.

 

In October 2021 Evolve presented research to the Ugandan Supreme Court on contemporary sentencing issues, and comparative solutions.

 

In 2023-24 Evolve will begin offering digital resources for legal professionals in Uganda, including ongoing criminal justice research and news.

Casework

Evolve offers technical assistance in capital cases in Uganda.

 

We assist in identifying and organising competent representation for capital appellants. Our barristers offer assistance with case preparation and legal arguments, and support and mentor advocates in court.

We assist stakeholders to ensure that capital appeals occur fairly and without undue delay, in accordance with international and domestic human rights standards.

Re-Sentencing of Kigula Beneficiaries

Evolve's work began by facilitating the re-sentencing process of beneficiaries of the case of Susan Kigula v. 417 Ors.

 

That decision held the mandatory death penalty unconstitutional, triggering work over more than a decade to ensure that all death row inmates had opportunity to present mitigation and be sentenced afresh.

 

Evolve barristers worked closely with the Judiciary, DPP, ULS, Ugandan Prison service and other stakeholders during the process between 2013 and 2016.

 

Our work involved training judges and advocates, file tracing, developing a pilot program of social enquiry reports into offenders' backgrounds, and offering technical support to advocates.