Inspired by Article 29-A of the Indian Constitution, Project 39A focuses on equal justice and equal opportunity. They engage with the criminal justice system through interdisciplinary research, offer pro bono legal representation and create accessible and clear public communication of their work. Their primary focus is on legal aid, torture within the criminal justice system, mental health, criminal justice, the death penalty and forensics. They conduct rigorous empirical work, documentation and analysis of the criminal justice system given the lack of record keeping by the police, prisons and courts, and the lack of empirical basis for law and policy making. They operate a blog that is a platform for academic engagement with issues pertaining to the criminal justice system through nuanced and multidisciplinary discussion of issues.

Why they are the right choice for others:

• Examine the many economic and social barriers that prevent citizens for effectively accessing justice, especially around the criminal justice system, at a systemic level
• Examine key areas of mental health in prisons, the death penalty and torture to trigger conversations socially
• Conduct rigorous research from multidisciplinary channels that is then conveyed across many channels of communication to include everybody in the stakes involved in the criminal justice system
• Create a robust and ethical framework that guides their independence in their work