Pressing Forward, Making Progress

As the East African sun rises in the West Ugandan town of Fort Portal on our third day of intense case preparation, it illuminates the finish line off in the distance.  Adrenaline is supplementing sleep, though the former seems to be in much greater supply than the latter.

Day Two started off early with most of the team members wandering into the hotel’s restaurant before dawn.  Some hair was wet, some was tussled, some was barely there (but that’s more of a personal problem).  Some eyes were red, some were crusty, but all were alive and radiated the fire burning deep inside.  Our students have clients for the first time, and the gravity of what they are doing – what is at stake – has sobered them in all the best ways.

After breakfast, we gathered for a team meeting to discuss who was going where and when.  I had woken up to a quite distressing e-mail from a friend here in Uganda whom I deeply respect and admire regarding a situation quite close to her, both personally and professionally.  This was weighing on me heavily as I read from Matthew 25 and tried to reflect with the group on what we were doing in this prison and why.  As I am want to do, I started leaking from my eyes. And not just a little.  That triggered the nose, which then constricted the vocal cords.  Fortunately, my bladder and bowels are on their own closed system.  I was a bit of blubbering mess as I described the situation of my friend and asked the group to pray for her and the others affected by the turn of events.  I intended to lead the prayer myself, but that wasn’t happening.  I could barely get out a request for someone else to lead it.

Jessie Johnston leapt to her feet and bailed me out.  Jessie was been a pillar of faith for her classmates in law school (Class of 2011), and has been gifted with encouragement and boldness.  She dipped deeply into both wells as she offered a beautiful prayer of thanksgiving, grace, and protection for both us and those we are serving.  Jessie is a regular visitor/teacher at several prisons in the United States, and posted a wonderfully written and reflective report about our first day in the prison in Uganda on her blog site here.

After the team meeting, we launched into the day’s activities.  Three teams set off for the prison to resume the interviews. Since the Ugandan lawyers on two of the teams were tied up in the morning, they hung back at the hotel for a couple hours to prepare for the upcoming interviews and to summarize the prior ones.  But by late morning, all five groups were with their clients.

Since David had run logistical point on Monday, we switched out for Tuesday so he could spend some time with the prisoners hearing and chronicling their stories.  I met with the judge and his assistant to update them on Monday’s progress and to chart out with them where things were going next.  The judge was pleased and grateful.  My prediction is that this man will someday fill one of the top few slots on the judiciary.  He is quite impressive on every level.

From there, I met with the Resident State Attorney, who is the functional equivalent of the District Attorney for this area.  He has been, and continues to be, a pleasure to work with, and he gets the potentially transformative nature of this project.  We had a chance to discuss the one case I wrote about yesterday – the prisoner who should be in the juvenile remand home, rather than in the adult prison.  Though he didn’t make an immediate decision, he clearly understood and appreciated the situation and agreed to elevate this case to the top of the pile when we start the plea bargaining process at the end of the week.

Meanwhile, Dana and Harrison resumed their critically important, though thoroughly unexciting photocopying and logistical management duties.  Suffice it to say that the trains are all running on time due to their efforts, and we are all well fed (samosas for lunch and surprisingly good pizza for dinner).

During the afternoon, I focused on designing four templates for the summary briefs we will be delivering to the lawyers for both sides.  Our teams are preparing confidential interview summaries for the defense lawyers (using a template largely designed by Nootbaar Fellow John Napier in January of 2010, and revised and refined for this specific use by Nootbaar Fellows Shane Michael and David Nary).  The summary briefs for which I spent the afternoon designing templates will provide in one manageable packet the penal code section under which the prisoner is charged, the pertinent provisions of the newly issued Sentencing Guidelines, a reasonably neutral analysis of the strength of the case (without breaching any confidences), and an analysis of the aggravating and mitigating factors identified in the Sentencing Guidelines.  The four templates correspond to the four types of cases we are handling this session – Murder, Rape, Aggravated Robbery, and Defilement.

While I was working, the King of the Toro Kingdom – flanked by hundreds of adoring supplicants – meandered down the main road in a makeshift parade.  Like Great Britain, the royalty in Uganda are largely ceremonial, but the scores of people bowing prostrate in the roadway as he approached would have suggested otherwise.  I took a break from my “office” in the “war room” we have set up in the Parrot Bar of the Rwenzori Traveller’s Inn (where we are staying) to watch the parade.  A local hotel worker told me that the 20 year-old King inherited his throne at the ripe age of 3.

Toro King (striped shirt) and his Subjects

Four groups came back for lunch; Judge Doyle’s group, which had a bit of a later start due to the Ugandan lawyer’s schedule, worked straight through (with a culinary assist from Dana and Harrison as they sent food with the group and then brought them more).

By the end of the day, Professor Chase’s and Sophia Hamilton’s group had completed their initial round of interviews, and the others had made substantial progress toward completion.  In all, more than 25 prisoners met their lawyers and finally had a chance to tell their stories on Tuesday.

Back at the hotel, we feasted on pizza we picked up from a Dutch bed and breakfast down the road, and continued the case preparation.

Before we left the United States, I asked Dana Zacharia to bring her guitar with her so we could enjoy her God-given talents when we grew weary from the work.  So at about 10:00 p.m. last night, Dana sang us a few songs about the transcendent nature of freedom.  The other patrons of the hotel bar joined in a rousing ovation as she finished.

Dana Blessing us with her Music

A few of the team are a bit sick, a few a bit sick to their stomachs as they adjust to the local food, but all are rowing tirelessly with both oars.  We have been so blessed by the prayers and encouraging words we have been receiving, and we are grateful for your support.