Are you a law graduate/ legal professional looking for job opportunities as a Social Work Fellow? This opportunity might be of interest to you!
About:
The National Law University, Delhi was established in 2008 under the National Law University Act, 2007 with the objective of imparting comprehensive and interdisciplinary legal education. The University has signed several Memoranda of Understanding with national and international universities with a view to encourage collaborative academic activity. The University is committed to disseminating legal knowledge and developing the pedagogical acumen necessary to engage with contemporary legal issues of public importance.
Project 39A is inspired by Article 39-A of the Indian Constitution, a provision that furthers the intertwined values of equal justice and equal opportunity by removing economic and social barriers. These are constitutional values of immense importance given the manner in which multiple disparities intersect to exclude vast sections of our society from effectively accessing justice. Using empirical research to re-examine practices and policies in the criminal justice system, Project 39A aims to trigger new conversations on legal aid, torture, forensics, mental health in prisons, and the death penalty.
They are committed to ensuring that their engagement with the criminal justice system is based on rigorous empirical work. There is much to be gained from diligent documentation and analysis of the workings of the criminal justice system before heading down a prescriptive path. It is an oft-repeated truth that much of law-making in India lacks any real empirical basis and this is equally true for law and policy making in the criminal justice system. The dismal state and sometimes the absence of record-keeping in the police, prisons and courts along with multiple barriers to accessing records/ data complicates criminal justice research in India. Nonetheless, it is important that as a university they utilise the resources, expertise and access to networks available to them to overcome these barriers and take these difficult conversations forward.
As important as rigorous research is their commitment to effective communication of their work. Issues involving the criminal justice system need to be effectively communicated to audiences far beyond lawyers, judges and the bureaucracy. It is critical that they clearly convey that everyone has a stake in the health of the criminal justice system and that its fault lines must concern all.
Researching the criminal justice system often forces us to confront harsh individual and systemic realities and issues of legal representation and intervention also lie at the core of Project 39A’s mandate. Being acutely aware that credible research rides on its independence, robust ethical frameworks guide the separation of their research and representation efforts.
As a law school, they do believe that it is part of their core mandate to contribute to the realisation of the values of equal and fair access to justice. Their work has benefited greatly from the many individuals, organisations and agencies, who have supported and encouraged their work. The work they do has also benefited in equal measure from specialised knowledge in forensic psychiatry, social work, medical and forensic sciences, anthropology, literature and economics. They intend to continue along this path of meaningful and intense interdisciplinary engagement to ensure that the law reflects learnings from multiple perspectives.
The Fair Trial Fellowship Programme (‘the Programme’) is an opportunity for young lawyers and social workers to work for providing quality legal representation to undertrial prisoners. The Programme mentors a group of young professionals to work in collaboration with the Maharashtra State Legal Services Authority towards ensuring fair trial for undertrial prisoners at both pre-trial and trial stages. The Programme is rolled out for work in Nagpur and Pune Central prisons. The twin goals of the programme are to reduce the undertrial population in prisons in Pune and Nagpur and to strengthen the legal aid system in Maharashtra. To this end, there is a research as well as a litigation component to the programme. The programme has its offices in Pune and Nagpur.
Role:
Social Work Fellow
Location:
Nagpur
Qualifications:
- Postgraduate qualification in social work (M.A. in Social Work/MSW) or any other helping Professions/Social Science/Humanities subject or related areas from a Central/Deemed/State-Recognised University.
- Minimum of two years experience (full time) in intervention work at the grass root level is desired.
- Proficiency in reading, writing and speaking Marathi
- Ability to read, write and speak English
- Familiarity with the use of MS-Office, emails and the internet
- Prior work experience within institutions in the criminal justice system is desirable.
- The above qualifications may be relaxed in exceptional circumstances
Responsibilities:
- Visiting the Prisons, interacting with undertrial prisoners, identifying individuals who need legal aid from the DLSA and supporting them in writing applications to DLSA.
- Identifying undertrial prisoners entitled for bail/early release and refer such cases to the DLSA and the Prison Authorities.
- Socio-legal case work interventions and handholding undertrial prisoners through the legal proceedings at both pre-trial and trial stage.
- Home visits and working with families of under trials in gathering information/documents relevant to their case.
- Coordinating with other authorities if required for gathering relevant documents like age proof, address proof, medical certificates etc.
- Identifying special needs of under trials including pregnancy, claims for juvenility, disability, terminal illnesses, mental health issues etc.
- Travelling as required to meet and communicate with family members of undertrial prisoners and other persons who may have oral and documentary information relevant for mitigation of the prisoners, using the tools and techniques for communication and obtaining information devised.
- Coordinating with Legal Fellows and providing relevant socio-legal inputs in individual cases.
- Case Documentation with details of interventions for cases handled.
- Organising and conducting training workshops and conferences.
- Documentation and Reporting as per programmatic needs.
- Any other work that may be necessary to further the aims of the Fellowship Programme.
How to Apply:
Interested persons must attach their resume and a statement of purpose, explaining their role and interest in working on this programme. The statement of purpose must not exceed 700 words.Shortlisted candidates will be called for the selection process which will be held in Nagpur. The selection process may have multiple rounds.
Applications and documents will be accepted only through the form given here. Deadline: Applications must reach us by midnight of 18th December 2023,after which the applications will not be accepted.
We have taken all measures to ensure that this opportunity, available in the corporate domain, is uploaded/provided/given on our social media platforms, including our website, and is credible, verified and sourced from authenticated/trustable sources.
