Across Zambia, pressure on the justice system has contributed to long delays for detainees awaiting trial. Zambia’s correctional facilities were designed to hold around 10,500 people but currently house more than 26,000. Many of those detained are awaiting trial, with some spending months – or even years – on remand before their cases are heard.

IRLI is working with justice sector partners in Zambia to help address this challenge through the introduction of mobile courts.

Rather than relying solely on transporting detainees to court – a process that can be difficult where transport capacity is limited – mobile courts bring judicial hearings directly inside correctional facilities.

Judges and magistrates hear cases on site, allowing cases to progress and helping detainees access their constitutional right to a fair hearing within a reasonable time.

From February 2025 to December 2025, 142 court sittings were conducted under this initiative, hearing 1,853 cases and leading to releases in 378 cases, 20 per cent of the total.

One justice sector partner reflected: “For many detainees, it was the first time they could speak directly to a judge about their case.”

By enabling courts to reach correctional facilities more efficiently, the initiative is helping reduce case backlogs, improve procedural movement within the justice system, and contribute to wider efforts to address prison overcrowding.

The mobile courts initiative is delivered by Irish Rule of Law International (IRLI) in partnership with the judiciary of Zambia, the National Prosecution Authority, Legal Aid, the Zambia Correctional Service, Prisoners’ Future Foundation, and UP Zambia, with support from Irish Aid, the Irish government’s programme for international development.

IRLI is a project-orientated, non-profit, rule-of-law initiative established by the Law Society of Ireland and the Bar Council of Ireland in 2007.

The Law Society of Northern Ireland and the Bar of Northern Ireland joined as partners in 2015, making IRLI an all-Ireland body supported by members of both branches of the legal profession throughout the island of Ireland.