The Fair Justice Initiative was founded by Sarah Mary Adetola ('Femi'), not long after she qualified as a legal representative in Accra, Ghana. Whilst attending court for her clients, Femi became acutely aware of the crisis in inadequate legal representation for criminal defendants. Many arrive for their hearings without any understanding of their charge or case, no lawyer to advise them and often not even an adequate grasp of the court's working language, English. Appalled by what she saw, Femi offered her services as a lawyer pro bono to one such defendant named Ismael. After his conviction she maintained contact with him at Nsawam Medium Security Prison, and began to take on more pro bono clients with similar complex vulnerabilities. It quickly became evident the problems facing individuals like him were not confined to the courtroom alone.
- Ghana's prisons are severely overcrowded; 15,000 inmates are held in 43 institutions with an official capacity to hold 9,875 (World Prison Brief, 2018).
- Of these, 13.8% are those on remand, awaiting trial (ibid, 2018). Court delays will often mean their case is not heard for several years; there is a struggle to deal with the backlog of cases complicated by critically poor record keeping.
- The same problems persist for those hoping to appeal their sentences. Lost documentation within the paper-based system is very common.
- Inmates are reliant on family members to fund many of their basic needs. Medical care services are overstretched. In Nsawam Medium Security Prison there are only three physician assistants and four nurses (Amnesty International, 2017) for c.3100 inmates.
- Recreational and educational opportunities have limited capacity, and there is no provision for reintegration services for a demographic facing significant stigma and rejection.
Four years on, The Fair Justice Initiative is now a non-governmental organisation (NGO), formed with the aim of combatting this set of inextricably interrelated problems. Our legal department is licensed as the external Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) of Ampem Chambers Barristers and Solicitors, a full service corporate law firm based in Accra, Ghana.
Our Staff
Sarah Mary Adetola ('Femi')
Sarah Mary Adetola ('Femi')
Sarah Mary Adetola ('Femi')
Femi is the Founder and Executive Director of the Fair Justice Initiative. She is a graduate of Wesleyan College (2006) and University of Ghana (2009), and qualified as a lawyer at Ghana School of Law in 2011. She is now a Senior Associate at Ampem Chambers, a member of Ghana's Prisons Board, and a successful restauranteur.
Nana Adwoa Amponsah-Mensah
Sarah Mary Adetola ('Femi')
Sarah Mary Adetola ('Femi')
Nana Adwoa joined FJI in October 2018 as an Associate Lawyer. She has been called to both the bar of England and Wales (2016) and the Ghana bar (2017). She too works full time representing FJI's clients in court, providing legal advice to the inmates of Nsawam Prison as part of FJI's legal clinic, and providing assistance to FJI's other programmes.
Morgan Floyd Delattre
Sarah Mary Adetola ('Femi')
Morgan Floyd Delattre
Morgan joined the team in November 2019 the Director of Programmes and now serves FJI as Programme Advisor. She holds BAs in Psychology and Political Science from Georgetown College (2013) and a Masters of Public Health from the University of Kentucky (2016).
Nahaja Adam
Awusi Makafui Quartey
Allison Nucciarone
Nahaja Adam joined FJI as a Legal Assistant in December 2019. She holds an LLB from Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) and is currently in her second year at the Ghana School of Law. She has worked at the Office of the Attorney General and Ministry of Justice as well as the African Centre of International Criminal Justice.
Allison Nucciarone
Awusi Makafui Quartey
Allison Nucciarone
Allison is a Programme Lead and manages the Mental Health Awareness Programme running in both the women's and men's prison. She received her degree in Psychology from Palm Beach Atlantic University (2015) and is certified in counseling. Before coming to FJI, Allison spent two years as a school counselour developing mental health awareness and emotional intelligence programmes.
Awusi Makafui Quartey
Awusi Makafui Quartey
Awusi Makafui Quartey
Awusi joined FJI in December 2019 as a Legal Intern. Before coming to FJI, she interned at the law firms Laryea, Laryea & Co and Renaissance Law Chambers. Awusi is currently a final year student of the Ghana School of Law and holds an LLB. from the university of Ghana (2017) and a BA in Political Studies from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology (2014).