Reimagining Justice: Global Lessons, Local Action & Featuring The Whole Story With Anderson Cooper

Access to justice remains a profound crisis in New York and across the U.S., where outcomes in the legal system too often hinge on income, race, and social status. Public defenders face overwhelming caseloads, and millions of low-income Americans lack access to civil legal support.

Justice Defenders, a UK-based organization and US nonprofit working across Africa, offers a radically inclusive model that speaks directly to these inequities and has important lessons for us here in New York. In a system without public defenders—where nine out of ten prisoners never meet a lawyer—Justice Defenders provides accredited legal education to incarcerated people and prison officers, equipping them to become paralegals and lawyers defending the defenseless who help secure freedom for thousands every year. Following in Nelson Mandela’s footsteps, 67 graduates have earned law degrees from prison, and two are now Advocates of the High Court with lived experience of incarceration. Since its founding, Justice Defenders has served more than 150,000 people, with over 60,000 walking free.

Please join us for an evening of community, hope, and solidarity as we explore innovative approaches to justice in Africa and New York. We’ll premiere an episode of CNN's The Whole Story With Anderson Cooper highlighting the work of Justice Defenders, host a conversation with Justice Defenders leaders and New York-based leaders, and end with a reception. Together, we’ll examine what’s working globally and locally and identify ways to strengthen access to justice and mobilize toward meaningful change.

Speakers 

Transitional Remarks

• Anthony Sims, Vice President, Alternatives to Violence Project
• Hamisi Mzari, Acting Legal Practice Lead, Justice Defenders
• Alexander McLean, Founder & CEO, Justice Defenders

Panel Discussion on Access to Justice in East Africa & New York

• Fairbain Ombeva, Officer in Charge, Lang'ata Women's Prison 

• Alana Sivin, Director, Greater Justice New York, Vera Institute of Justice 

• Nicole Smith-Futrell, Professor of Law, Co-Director of the Defenders Clinic, CUNY School of Law 

• Morris Kaberia, Legal Education Lead, Justice Defenders 

• Daniel F. Martuscello III, Commissioner, New York Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) 

• Ariane Cruz (Moderator), Senior Manager, Public Policy & Collaboration, Philanthropy New York 

Recording

Access the full epsiode of CNN's The Whole Story With Anderson Cooper, Justice Defenders: Change Inside Prison, here.