Contribute to the rehabilitation and reintegration of individuals with experience in the justice system, expand the national conversation around justice in Tunisia, and advocate for a fairer, more rehabilitative approach to crime and punishment.
Currently, transition support for individuals who are coming out of prison in Tunisia is extremely limited, which leaves vulnerable and stigmatized individuals on their own in the difficult search for stable jobs, safe housing, and supportive communities following their release. This challenge has resulted in a nearly 40 percent recidivism rate in Tunisia. In addition, overpopulation in prisons has reached an average of 127 percent, an alarming number giving the ongoing pandemic. Nearly 50 percent of incarcerated persons are in pre-trial detention, and thousands of them are detained for minor, nonviolent crimes such as possession of illegal drugs . Maak envisions a justice system that rehabilitates rather than solely punishes those who violate the law, and that supports individuals who have served their time and seek to follow a better path.
Maak believes that change requires the creation of safe spaces where individuals are encouraged to trust and support each other to develop psychologically, intellectually physically;
Maak believes in the power of the individual to change, and that society and its institutions should allow and encourage positive change to take place;
Maak believes that the law’s ultimate goal is to promote a safe, just, and harmonious society, not to systematically oppress or permanently exclude certain individuals based on their past deeds.
Maak is gearing up to conduct a public opinion survey on Crime, Punishment, Prison and Prisoners (C3P). This survey intends to create a public safety perception index as well as produce baseline data in order to track future trends. The survey will assess the degree to which the public holds punitive views toward those who violate the law, to what extent they support rehabilitation programs, and their degree of confidence in the current justice and correctional system. This survey will help inform Maak’s strategic focus in the immediate and short-term.
Maak plans to organize a series of live-streamed conversations with a range of experts and people involved in and impacted by the justice system, including, for example, a judge, lawyer, musical artist, police officer, theater artist, and former convict. Maak sees this as an educational opportunity for our team, the public, and the individuals invited to the conversation, who likely would not have interacted with one another otherwise. Maak will use the information gathered to inform its rehabilitation programs, public awareness campaigns, and legal advocacy.
Maak’s team is composed of individuals with extensive experience in both Tunisian and international civil society work, as well as expertise in governance, anti-corruption, elections, legal reform, marketing and physical education. Given their backgrounds, Maak’s team members also have a wide network to draw on, including individuals who work in graphic design, the music industry, senior levels of government, the parliament, and like-minded civil society organizations.
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