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In Uganda, like the rest of Africa, storytelling is a highly valued and important part of culture. Consequently, conversations with Ugandans usually last longer than with westerners because they tend to add details that, while unnecessary to the story, provide additional color and flavor. Accordingly, when a lawyer asks a witness a question in...
I took advantage on Friday of the J-FASTER court session being dark until Monday by beginning the painstaking task of preparing a report reflecting upon my soon-to-be-completed six months in Uganda. I scheduled a 10:30 meeting with Justice Bamwine, the Principal Judge of Uganda. In Uganda, the Principal Judge is the head of the...
It struck me today that my time in Uganda is coming to a close. We are “wheels up” four weeks from today. I am frequently asked whether I am ready to leave and/or looking forward to going home. As is usually the case toward the end of lengthy trips, the answer to such questions...
It was an early morning for me and my driver. The three-hour trip from Masindi to Kampala saw us arrive at court in Kampala at 8:30 a.m., in time for the J-FASTER session to resume. On calendar today were two cases, one of which was the continuation of the only case so far to...
It was another full day of interviewing the juveniles out at the Remand Home for most of us. Unfortunately for me, I was on administrative duty for most of the day and spent precious little time with the children and the students. The day began quite well with a 7:00 a.m. meeting with an...
After breakfast, we secured two additional cars to take the three teams of lawyers and law students out to the Ihungu Remand Home for a full day of interviewing. On our way, we picked up the probation officer so he could also be there when we arrived. It was clear that the juveniles were...
Nearly two and a half years ago, my love affair with Africa began in a juvenile prison in a sleepy town in central Uganda called Masindi. I arrived with three other law graduates from Pepperdine hoping to do what we could to assist twenty-one minors who had been arrested and charged with crimes, but...
I woke up Saturday morning to a surprise! Not a good surprise, but a bad one. I had planned on sleeping in on Saturday morning because our kids had been up late in our apartment with Allison, Annie, Abby Claire, and A.J. Brown, watching Harry Potter movies and baking cookies. Friday night was the...
This past week marked the beginning of Phase Three of the Juvenile Justice Pilot Program I have been working on for the past five months. Phase Three is the culminating judicial phase of the Program, with Phase Four only involving the resettlement of the children into their home villages by the probation officers. Phase...
Going on safari is a must if you come to Africa. Last weekend we got to see the best wildlife in Uganda at Murchison Falls National Park. The photos do not do these animals justice, but we took hundreds of them. The Brown family of Midland, Texas shared our adventure. They are here in Uganda,...