Justice for Children in Malawi
Sarahí García, JJAI’s Latin America Director, traveled to Malawi with Northwestern University’s Center for International Human Rights. The trip is part of JJAI’s 2nd Edition of the global study on Children in Pretrial Detention, set to be published this May. Children in Malawi’s detention centers, like in many countries in Africa, suffer from extremely long times in pretrial detention with little contact with judges or defense attorneys. JJAI’s partners work with local paralegal and community organizations to provide legal assistance to children and adults who languish in the country’s prisons. JJAI provided a donation to the legal aid and the children in detention to cover some of their basic needs.
The trip highlighted the global nature of the problem of children in prison: poor conditions, long wait times, and the lack of community-based alternatives.
Costa Rica Visit Previews New Project
Douglas Keillor and Sarahí García visited Costa Rica in February as part of a new project funded by the Tinker Foundation to publish JJAI’s Alternatives to Detention Toolkit, based on JJAI’s experiences in Mexico, so that other governments in Latin America can benefit from the tools and models.
Costa Rica has been identified as a key site, not only because there are significant opportunities to improve the local juvenile justice system, but also because countries in the region look to Costa Rica as a model for human rights and good governance.
While in Costa Rica, JJAI’s leadership, in conjunction with Defensa de Niñas y Niños Internacional, presented a workshop, “Mechanisms for Evaluating the Administration of Juvenile Justice,” at the Costa Rican Court of Justice. Costa Rica is also participating in JJAI’s global study on Children in Pretrial Detention, examining the procedural delays that often extend pretrial detention.
“There are significant opportunities for Costa Rica to better protect the children in their system,” noted Douglas Keillor. “With partners like the Court of Justice and Defensa de Niñas y Niños Internacional, JJAI can have a real impact here.”
Minneapolis Yoga Partners with Kids in Prison
Minneapolis Yoga and owner Melissa Sargent partnered with us to donate a yoga class for kids in prison. Thanks to a full class and generous matches from Minneapolis Yoga and supporter William Mondale, we raised $2,800! We will be dedicating these funds to supporting children in detention in Puerto Rico. Thank you to all who participated and gave.
JJAI 2025 Funding and Beyond
While the international development funding environment is very difficult right now, JJAI feels fortunate in that all of our funding, both private and government, is not currently impacted by funding freezes.
We are partnering with the Annie E. Casey Foundation to promote detention condition improvements in the United States.
The Tinker Foundation has joined with us on a three-year project to publish and promote our successful models in Latin America, with a focus on Costa Rica.
The U.S. Department of Justice Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention has given us a two-year grant for art expression for Latino/a youth in detention in Puerto Rico, Houston, and Albuquerque.
Our other funders and donors ensure that these projects are part of JJAI’s long-term strategy to promote systemic change that protects children in conflict with the law. Thank you for being part of our team!
