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About CCJ

The Centre for Criminal Justice (CCJ) is a non-governmental organisation, situated on the Pietermaritzburg campus of the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Working in the fields of justice and human rights, the organisation uses a multi-pronged strategy to address the barriers which ordinary people face when accessing justice from the South African legal system.

Mission Statement

The Centre for Criminal Justice is committed to the furtherance of human rights through the law; the development of a culture of respect for human rights; and assisting of efforts to construct a more effective and accessible criminal justice system.

Aims

The aims of the Centre for Criminal Justice are to:

• Advocate the promotion and protection of human rights within and through the criminal justice system;
• Contribute to the transformation and reform of the criminal justice system, making it more effective and accessible to all South Africans;
• Develop and empower disadvantaged communities to exercise their fundamental right of access to justice;
• Evaluate the effects of the law and the criminal justice system on basic human rights; and
• Participate in community development and skills enhancement projects, targeting the disadvantaged sector of society.

Objectives

To achieve the above aims, the Centre for Criminal Justice seeks to:

• Conduct analytical research of the implementation of the law particularly that affect women and children and the activities of criminal justice agencies;
• Provide education and training that effects change in the application of the law and the criminal justice system and foster knowledge of and respect for human rights;
• Disseminate information on human rights and the criminal justice system; and
• Facilitate productive networking between CCJ, community structures, and research and policy-making institutions at both the local and national levels.