Document Actions
Legal Assistance
Up one levelPF national organisations are serving poor prisoners who cannot afford a lawyer or the payment of their fines through the provision of legal and other assistance.
- Defending the Poor
- On the day he was released from prison he began looking for work. He knew his family had suffered during his time in prison and he desperately wanted to begin providing for them again. It was difficult going. Then one afternoon, a few days later, the police came and accused him of committing a robbery in the area. He was summarily arrested and dragged off to prison. As an ex-prisoner, his guilt was readily assumed. Unable to afford legal help, his conviction is all but assured. His situation is bad, and his family’s welfare is worse than ever. He feels totally isolated, forgotten and alone.
- Assisting Foreign Prisoners in Chile
- For several years, PF Chile staff and volunteers noticed the difficulties faced by foreign prisoners in Chilean prisons. Most were in prison for drug trafficking and faced many difficulties in obtaining the necessary legal assistance. In 1998, PF Chile began providing this assistance through it legal department.