Jobs and tenders

TERMS OF REFERENCE

Background

Penal Reform International (PRI) is an international non-governmental organisation working to promote fair, effective and proportionate responses to criminal justice problems worldwide. PRI- Africa has received funding from the Dutch embassy to implement a project aimed at advancing a just, peaceful, and inclusive society where people can access justice and thrive. PRI wishes to use part of this grant to hire a consultant to conduct a needs assessment on the justice, rehabilitation and reintegration needs and barriers among justice-impacted women( women in prison and women released from prison). The consultancy will focus on women in prison and selected communities in Jinja, Iganga, Mbale, Soroti and Moroto.

Justification

Uganda’s justice-impacted women face intersecting barriers arising from poverty, gender-based violence, limited legal information, discriminatory practices and inadequate access to legal assistance. PRI’s research highlights how these factors contribute to unnecessary detention, disrupted livelihoods, family separation and difficulties reintegrating after release. The Constitution of Uganda guarantees equality, personal liberty, dignity, fair hearing and women’s rights (Articles 21, 23, 24, 28 and 33). These protections are reinforced regionally by the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the Maputo Protocol and the African Commission’s Luanda Guidelines, and internationally by CEDAW, the UN Bangkok Rules and the Nelson Mandela Rules. These frameworks support non-discrimination, procedural safeguards, gender-responsive treatment and individualised rehabilitation and reintegration. PRI wishes to conduct a needs assessment to establish women’s actual justice, rehabilitation and reintegration needs, identify systemic gaps and community reintegration barriers, improve rehabilitation outcomes and opportunities for empowerment to facilitate safe return and reintegration of women in their communities in selected districts. Its findings will enable PRI to tailor services to women’s needs and monitor results using locally grounded evidence.

General objective

To generate credible, participatory and actionable evidence on the justice needs, barriers, priorities and livelihood-related vulnerabilities of justice- impacted women ( women in prison and those released from prison) and translate findings into feasible, location-specific recommendations to inform subsequent project activities.

Specific objectives

• Identify the legal problems and justice needs experienced by women in prison including their intersections with poverty, violence, land/property rights and economic insecurity.
• Assess legal knowledge, available community services and their affordability, procedural obstacles, discriminatory practices, referral pathways and access to remedies at community, police, court and detention levels.
• Examine women’s experiences and needs across arrest, pre-trial detention, trial, sentencing, imprisonment, release and reintegration, including the availability of non-custodial options where relevant.
• Map existing legal aid, psychosocial, protection, livelihood, skills-training and reintegration services, including gaps, duplication and opportunities for collaboration.
• Understand the influence of family, community norms, stigma and local dispute-resolution structures on safety, livelihoods and reintegration of justice impacted women.
• Produce prioritised recommendations for beneficiary targeting, geographic focus, service delivery, referral systems, partnerships and monitoring.

Target Populations and locations

Primary participants: women in prison, formerly imprisoned women, and selected communities particularly family members, local leadership, and providers of legal, protection, psychosocial and livelihood services in Jinja, Iganga, Mbale, Soroti and Moroto.

Geographical coverage: Jinja, Iganga, Mbale, Soroti and Moroto. The assessment shall cover women in prison and selected communities in each district, subject to institutional access and a feasible sampling plan.

Deliverables

• Inception report
• Field completion report
• Draft assessment report
• Final report: The report must include an executive summary; methodology and limitations; separate prison and community findings for each of the five districts; analysis of gender, poverty, violence, criminalisation and livelihood barriers; justice and reintegration service/referral mapping; a ranked needs matrix; and a practical action plan identifying recommendations, target groups, referral partners, and responsible implementation functions. Clearly distinguish assessed findings from recommendations.

Required qualifications and experience

• Advanced degree in law, social sciences, gender studies, development studies, criminology, public policy or a related field.
• Experience conducting evaluations, baselines and justice sector assessments
• Demonstrated experience designing and conducting mixed-methods justice, gender, protection or community needs assessments, evaluations or baselines in Uganda or comparable contexts.
• Experience engaging ethically with incarcerated populations, survivors of violence and other marginalised groups.
• Knowledge of Uganda’s justice institutions, legal aid landscape, gender-responsive justice and reintegration.
• Strong analytical, facilitation, report-writing and data-protection skills.
• Ability to work with relevant local languages through qualified field researchers.

Reporting

The consultant will report to PRI’s designated project manager and work closely with relevant project staff throughout the assignment.

Level of Effort

The assignment is expected to be completed within 70 working days from contract signing.

Interested applicants are invited to submit their technical and financial proposals to africaoffice@penalreform.org

Bids must be sent to the email address below by 5:00 pm on the 30th of October 2026.

Email: africaoffice@penalreform.org

LATE BIDS SHALL BE REJECTED