Stakeholders weigh how to keep legal representation available at the point of arrest.
Justice Research Institute participated in a coordination meeting on sustaining the Police Duty Solicitor Scheme, hosted by Partners West Africa Nigeria on 25 February 2026. Participants examined institutional commitments required to maintain the scheme, structured deployment of NYSC lawyers to police divisions, and collaborative frameworks between government, the bar and civil society.
The Police Duty Solicitor Scheme places legal representation at the police division level, the stage at which detainees are most exposed to rights violations. JRI committed to contributing research and data to the scheme’s sustainability planning.
Access to counsel at first contact with police is among the highest-leverage interventions in criminal justice, and among the least reliably funded.