The Centre for Capital Punishment Studies (CCPS -  http://www.westminster.ac.uk/research/a-z/centre-for-capital-punishment-studies) is a Death Penalty charity, in part supported by the Unversity of Westminster and the Kalisher Trust and ran by Mr Peter Hodgkinson OBE.

 

All the money raised will be donated to CCPS for use in its work in Uganda with those awaiting capital trials and those awaiting re-sentencing in Uganda following the abolition of the mandatory death sentence in Uganda in 2009 (http://www.ulii.org/ug/judgment/supreme-court/2009/6) after it was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court of Uganda.

 

What distinguishes CCPS from other death penalty charities is that its volunteers do not take a salary and are only supplied with flights and accommodation money.  In addition its Director does not take a salary.  This means that all of the money you donate goes directly to those most in need not to paying the western salaries if charity workers in a developing county.

 

The money donated also goes to helping to train a group of Law students at the University of Makarere to undertake mitigation and to be trained to criminal paralegal standard by an experienced practitioner, thus creating a legacy for the future and enthusing the next generation of Ugandan lawyers with the ideals of a far defence and a respect for the rule of law. 

 

The money also helps to supply the expenses of keeping at least one BVC graduate and an additional practicing Criminal Barrister from the United Kingdom in Uganda to assist with this training, run a free legal clinic in the condemned section of Luzira, provide mitigation documents as well as advise on conviction and sentence and to provide to those who feel forgotten with a constant legally trained presence to support them in their struggle.

 

 The final part of our mandate is run a legal texts donation service from the UK to institutions in Uganda.  As you may be aware the Ugandan legal system is based upon the common law legal system and therefore our core texts (such as Archbold) and other books on procedure and evidence are of great use.  Books that are now slightly out of date for a UK lawyers can still be useful for those in Uganda.  This is especially so as some of these texts can cost upwards of £400 to book new and are out of the financial reach of the average Ugandan institution.  CCPS has started collecting these materials (kindly donated from various chambers) and with your support will soon start to send send them to the following institutions:

 

• Ugandan Law Society
• Kampala High Court
• Makarere University
• Luzira prison, Kampala

 

Please give what you can.  Without your support and assistance CCPS cannot continue to function.  A few pounds can make a huge amount of difference - The more you can give, the more we can help together.