The National Law University, Delhi (‘University’) through Project 39A (P39A) is seeking to engage, on a contractual basis, one Associate (Mitigation) at its campus in Dwarka, New Delhi. The contract will be for one year initially and can be extended on an annual basis at the discretion of the University. The Associate will be responsible for working on cases being handled by P39A, primarily concerning prisoners sentenced to death.
Qualifications
A. Graduate with a degree in social work, psychology, journalism, development studies, economics, sociology, law or any allied discipline. A degree in law is not mandatory but will be an advantage.
B. At least two (2) years of work experience in the respective field would be preferred.
C. Any previous field work involving an emphasis on communication skills, investigative capacities and/or mental health will be considered an advantage.
D. Substantial proficiency in reading/ speaking Hindi will be necessary. Additional proficiency in Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Tamil and Telugu would be an advantage
Role of a Mitigation Investigator:
The law as settled by the Supreme Court of India in death penalty cases states that guilt determination and sentencing are two distinct phases in a criminal proceeding. After a person is pronounced guilty, a separate and detailed hearing on sentence is required to be conducted in which the defence can lead evidence and present additional materials which are different from what was considered for determination of guilt. Circumstances related to the ‘crime’ as well as the ‘criminal’ are relevant before a sentence of death can be pronounced. A mitigation investigator works closely with lawyers to develop a life story of the accused by meaningfully engaging with the accused, their family and acquaintances as well as finding documents relating to the childhood, social context, physical and mental health etc.
Responsibilities:
A. Devise effective strategies and communication tools for 1) establishing contact, 2) engaging in rapport building interactions with, and 3) obtaining relevant information (data based, anecdotal, biographic documentary) from prisoners, their families and other persons and authorities who may have information, relevant for mitigation, keeping in mind the specificities of each case, with an emphasis on understanding the mental health and psycho-social history of the prisoners.
B. Travel extensively throughout India, meet and communicate with prisoners, their family members, and other persons who may have oral and documentary information relevant for mitigation of the prisoners, using the tools and techniques for communication and obtaining information devised.
C. Devise effective tools for collecting, storing and presenting all the information gathered, whether oral and documentary, in a coherent and organized manner.
D. Devise strategies for engaging with mental health professionals and other allied experts in order to obtain their professional opinion about individual cases.
E. Strategize and work with other associates at Project 39A on how to effectively incorporate such information about the prisoner into the legal case of the prisoner before the judicial forum, or as part of their mercy petition.
F. Organize training workshops and conferences for prison officials, judges, lawyers and others within the criminal justice system.
G. Present the work of Project 39A at various fora.
H. Any other work that may be necessary to further the aims of Project 39A
Compensation: Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience and will be within the range of Rs. 55,000 – 65,000 per month.
Application Process: Interested persons may send their resumé and a statement of purpose, explaining their interest in working on the death penalty and the contribution that they see themselves making through this position. The statement of purpose must not exceed 750 words. Applications and documents will be accepted only through the form linked below.
Relevant Links and Contacts
