The role of restorative justice in complementing the. These eight major challenges to criminal investigations were arrived. Judicial system in nigeria commonwealth governance. The judicial system in nigeria is beset with several deficiencies in its procedural set up that make it very difficult to obtain justice and quick resolution of disputes in courts. The southern part of nigeria makes use of the criminal code, while the northern part of nigeria makes use of the. In assessing a criminal justice system, which is highly interdependent and interactive, even when. D lecturer faculty of law, anambra state university igbariam. Abstract this thesis examines the problems and prospects of administration of criminal justice and in particular the difficulties of applying and realising the purposes of administration of criminal justice act 2015. Today, nigeria uses a tripartite system of criminal law and justice.
The supreme court is presided over by the chief justice and has up to 15 justices. Time to reform nigerias criminal justice system tosin osasona1 abstract this paper examines the performance of nigerias criminal justice system, using quantitative and qualitative indicators. Shariabased criminal justice system that failed to meet the groups expectations. The law reform process began subsequent to the end of military rule in 1998, when zamafra state, followed by eleven other predominantly muslim north nigeria states, populationswith introduced criminal justice systems based on sharia law. Assessment of justice system integrity and capacity in three. Nigerias criminal justice system is in urgent need of reform. The first contact an accused or a defendant has with the criminal justice system is the police or. These declarations should guide the resilience and doggedness of the new inspector general of police, mr onovo in aiding the administration of. The theory and practice of criminal justice in africa the web site. The administration of criminal justice act, 2015 acja. A criminal act usually becomes known to the police in one of the three ways. Suggestions will also be proffered on how to deemphasize or minimize the impact of this growing concept in our criminal justice system and ensure a more effective and responsive system of criminal trial in nigeria. In addition to highlighting the jurisprudential basis for use of the new measures in criminal justice, we shall also highlight and consider suitable approaches for unlocking the potential of these concepts and practices in the criminal justice system.
Unfortunately, these ideals are constantly at risk in nigerias criminal justice system, especially in the prosecution of corrupt crimes where convictions have largely been plea bargained. Introduction the nigeria criminal justice system cjs over the years has played a crucial role in the maintenance of law and order. This, will be shown in their duty to arrest, search, prosecute and generally maintain law, peace and order. Because american criminal jurisprudence is more familiar than that of nigeria, the author will more fully examine the latters criminal justice system, and compare. A socialpsychological analysis article pdf available february 2017 with 23,394 reads how we measure. The igbo, like other societies in africahad a welldeveloped, efficient, and effective mechanism for maintaining law and order prior to colonialism. Through the criminal justice system the criminal justice system comprises institutions, policies, and practices with the goal of maintaining social control and deterring crime through sanctions and rehabilitation. These agencies work in synergy in the prevention, deterrence, apprehension, investigation. Colonialism and the criminal justice system in nigeria. Nigeria criminal justice system, awaiting trial, rigidity of the penal law, holding charges, delay in the disposal of cases. The legal foundation for administration of justice. October december, 2009 nigerian juvenile justice 573 m.
Prisons are most often run at the state level of government, but there are also many federal prisons. The criminal justice system has grown in leaps and bounds over the years, although not without some attendant problems. Some of the events that influenced the development of nigerias criminal justice system include the british occupation of the country, the nigeria. Criminal justice system is a threat to the rule of law and all other indices of democracy and good governance. Plea bargaining and the administration of criminal justice. The criminal justice system in nigeria with particular reference to abia state is made up of three distinctive interdependent components viz the police, the courts and the prisons. Strengthening lagos criminal justice system punch newspapers. The sectors of the criminal justice system do not function in isolation, however, so the tools are crossreferenced to the relevant portions in other sectors.
African journal of criminology and justice studies. Many persons who may later be found innocent of the crimes alleged spend years in prison while. Pdf time to reform nigerias criminal justice system. Challenges of imprisonment in the nigerian penal system. Criminal defense is actually governed by 2 different laws.
Aguda, akinola 1986, nigeria in search of social justice through the. This paper is therefore intended to examine the real role of the police in the administration of justice in nigeria. Prisons are overcrowded, holding 73,314 people despite having capacity for only 50,153. Traditional african criminal justice systems and their potential role. Although interpretation of the causes of the development of the criminal justice system in. The criminal justice system in nigeria criminology project.
Nigeria, criminal justice policy, magistrate courts, awaiting trial inmates, prisons. A reformatory approach to the criminal justice system in nigeria. The purpose of this article is to provide a historical narrative of the devel opment and subsequent evolution of nigerias criminal justice system. Among the nassarawa in northcentral nigeria, it was usual to expose a thief kept in stocks by the compound of. This chapter examines the indigenous justice system of the igbo of southeast nigeria from restorative, transformative, and communitarian principles.
The criminal justice system in nigeria commences with the commission of a crime and continues with subsequent interventions by the law enforcement agencies of the system that has the power to arrest, arraignment, trial, sentencing and punishment of the offender. The process commences when the police has a reasonable suspicion that a person has either committed a crime or is committing a crime. This neglect is prevalent at both the federal and state levels. Problems in the administration of criminal justice in nigeria. The problems of criminal justice system in nigeria is represented and manifested at every processing point of the entire criminal justice line, therefore stopping this national descend will take. The act which was signed into law in may 2015, has a 495section law divided into 49 parts. This article examines the development and subsequent evolution of nigerias criminal justice system. Criminal justice is the system of practices and institutions of governments directed at upholding social control, deterring and mitigating crime, or sanctioning those. As this crisis built up, nigeria has no meaningful way to redress it, either by reforming the criminal justice system to reduce the inflow of suspects and accused persons into the category of those trapped in prison for years awaiting trial. An effective criminal justice system is one of the key pillars upon which the concept of the rule. Delay in the administration of justice in the nigerian judicial system by rogba payne derin coker for who would bear the whips and scorns of time, th oppressors wrong, the proud mans contumely, the pangs of despised love, the laws delay, the insolence of office, and the spurns that patient merit of th unworthy. Many of these books present the cold hard facts in chapters that. Criminal justice system in nigeria pdf at manuals library. To understand the criminal justice system in nigeria, one needs an illustration of how it works.
Criminal justice system utterly failing nigerian people. World factbook of criminal justice systems nigeria. Pdf the nigeria criminal justice system and its effectiveness in. Jacobs said lagos state must be duly credited for revolutionalising the criminal. The nigeria criminal justice system and its effectiveness. Assessment of the integrity and capacity of the justice system in three nigerian states technical assessment report january 2006 vienna.
Imprisonment in precolonial nigeria society imprisonment was a part of precolonial nigerian societies before the advent of the british colonial rule. D senior lecturer, faculty of law, nnamdi azikiwe university, awka. Defining justice one of the overarching goals that brings. Empirical evaluation of nigeria criminal justice system. The history of nigerias criminal justice system dates back to the colonization of the country in the late 1800s by europeans, who introduced imprisonment based on their own correctional systems. Ncjrs abstract national criminal justice reference service. This article examines from a social context perspective the origin and development of nigerias criminal justice system. The criminal justice system in nigeria, as in any nations of the world begins with a process and with three components comprising the police, the courts, and corrections prisons, with each component impacting the overall process of the system. The history of the criminal justice system in nigeria dates back to the colonization of the country in the late 1800s by europeans, who introduced imprisonment based on their own correctional system. The administration of criminal justice act, 2015 acja is unmistakably the hottest law in nigeria presently and it is without doubt due to its wide applicability and revolutionary nature.
It appears that the ultimate goal of the criminal justice system is still being jeopardized on the altar of ineffectiveness of the organs of the system. The constitution guarantees the independence of the judiciary and permits the exercise of sharia law for consenting muslims. Challenges of investigation in the nigeria criminal justice system the challenges confronting investigations and investigators in the nigerian criminal justice system are myriad. This act provides for the administration of criminal justice system which promotes efficient management of criminal justice institutions, speedy dispensation of justice, protection of the society from crimes and protection of the rights and interest of the suspect, the defendant and victims in nigeria. The criminal justice system is explored in a great number of books.
The nigeria criminal justice system and its effectiveness in criminal behaviour control. Criminal justice portfolio as a part of our on nigeria strategy, we seek to bolster the governments efforts to reform the criminal justice system through implementation of the administration of criminal justice act, a national law enacted in 2015 that provides for more efficient management and speedy dispensation of criminal justice in nigeria. Emily i alemika faculty of law, university of jos, jos, nigeria. Phil law faculty of law, university of ilorin, nigeria. This paper examines the performance of nigerias criminal justice system.
Consequently, only eight major ones are identified and discussed hereunder. Home decorating style 2020 for criminal justice system in nigeria pdf, you can see criminal justice system in nigeria pdf and more pictures for home interior designing 2020 91697 at manuals library. An overview of the system 5 designed for long sentences relative to jail sentences. The concept of plea bargain is a new phenomenon in the nigerian legal system. Assessing the administration of criminal justice in. Nigeria, criminal justice policy, magistrate courts, awaiting trial inm ates, prisons. This study therefore assessed the nigeria criminal justice system and the problem of awaiting trial in port harcourt maximum prison, rivers state. The law comes in handy for both lawyers and nonlawyers. Delay in the administration of justice in the nigerian.
Download administration of criminal justice law of lagos. The theory and practice of criminal justice in africa. The criminal justice system consists of several tracts adult and juvenile process. The nigerian prisons like the prisons in most developing counties are over flooded with inmates, a majority of whom are awaiting trialconviction. We found that the juvenile justice system is the most neglected aspect of the justice system in nigeria. Nigerias criminal justice system in 2017 the guardian.
Another lesson for nigeria is to realign its criminal justice system with those countries that promote restorative justice where emphasis is more on assuaging the feeling of the victims of crime. For nigeria and nigerians to be able to enjoy the lofty provisions of the administration of criminal justice act acja 2015 vis a vis the nigeria constitution, the nigerian government needs to be seen to be fully committed to improving the nigeria criminal justice system by providing all that is needed to make the acja 2015 work. Css 672 criminal justice administration national open university. Component of nigeria criminal justice system police the police department is the largest and most complex company of nigeria criminal justice system, with officers at the lower level expressing immense authority over citizens. Time to reform nigerias criminal justice system journal of law. In nigeria, crime victims dont get the right justice. Nigerian institute of advanced legal studies nigeria nials.
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