The purpose of this act is to ensure that the system of administration of criminal justice in nigeria promotes efficient management of criminal justice institutions, speedy dispensation of justice, protection of the society from crime and protection of the rights and. The theory and practice of criminal justice in africa the web site. Download administration of criminal justice act acja. June 18, 20 an article by iyabode ogunniran discussing the evolution of juvenile justice in nigeria was released in the spring 20 edition of the justice policy journal yesterday. It describes the agencies that form the justice system and the passage of cases through it. The purpose of the acja 2015 is to ensure that the system of administration of criminal justice in nigeria is efficient in the management of. Examining the challenges of studying crime and criminal justice systems in africa, prof. This is embarked upon with a view to determining how far these proceedings are in compliance with international standards, the problems and constraints which may limit compliance and the most likely. Morocco, nigeria, papua new guinea, romania, saudi arabia, serbia, syria, the united arab. The acja, by merging the major provisions of the two principal criminal justice legislations in nigeria, that is cpa and cpc, preserves the. Time to reform nigerias criminal justice system journal of law. Why nigerias criminal justice system is ineffective, by. Ncjrs abstract national criminal justice reference service. Assessment of justice system integrity and capacity in.
This article examines from a social context perspective the origin and development of nigerias criminal justice system. Ali, san introduction the topic is lucid and devoid of any ambiguity, therefore one can emulate humpty dumpty in its saying that when i use a word it means exactly what i want it to mean, no more no. The administration of criminal justice act, 2015 acja which was signed into law in may 2015 is one of nigerias newest legislations that has introduced new mechanisms in the nigerias criminal justice framework. Criminal code act chapter 77 laws of the federation of nigeria 1990 an act to establish a code of criminal law. Nigerias evolving juvenile justice system center on. Assessment of the integrity and capacity of the justice system in three nigerian states technical assessment report january 2006 vienna international centre, p. The act provides for the administration of criminal justice system which promotes efficient management of the criminal justice institutions, speedy dispensation of justice, protection of the society from crimes and the protection of the rights and interest of the suspect, the defendants and victims in. This paper discussed the emergence of the childs right act in nigeria in 2003 which. The theory and practice of criminal justice in africa. Unfortunately, the nigerian criminal justice system is fundamentally flawed and. Plea bargaining and the administration of criminal justice. Nigeria the law is often discriminatory11 and legal processes are expensive.
Purpose of law in the nigerian legal system, the most explicit form of criminal detection, prevention and protection mechanism for social control is the administration of criminal justice system. This report was developed as part of the design work. Juvenile delinquency has consistently been a problem in the world, nigeria inclusive. A major concern of the criminal justice system in nigeria, as well as in other parts of the world, including the united states is overcrowding of prisons ayade, 2010. 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. The problems of criminal justice system in nigeria is represented and manifested at every processing point of the entire criminal justice line. 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. Juvenile justice information portfolio unicef case. A socialpsychological analysis article pdf available february 2017 with 23,174 reads how we measure. Access to justice in nigerian criminal and civil justice systems.
Bail and criminal justice administration in nigeria. The state structure of the criminal justice system connoting the criminal law and its implementing machinery mainly the police in our country is a legacy of the british and it obviously has the colonial roots. 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. Central to the criminal process is the exercise of discretion by police officers, prosecutors, defence attorneys, judicial officers, probation officers, and community and institutional correctional staff.
The major organs of the nigerian criminal justice system are. Challenging crime and crime justice systems in africa1. Criminal justice system news latest breaking stories and. Further information on the implementation of this legislation in lagos state and on whether there have been moves to implement similar reforms in. These agencies work in synergy in the prevention, deterrence, apprehension, investigation. In nigeria, juvenile offenders are treated differently from adults, although this has not always been the case. A criminal act usually becomes known to the police in one of the three ways. The paper noted that, though the nigeria criminal justice system is visible in the fight against notable environmental abuses like. Designed to be a dynamic set of documents that continue to meet assessment needs as they evolve, the criminal justice assessment toolkit will be adapted and enhanced, with the electronic version being updated on an ongoing basis. The work also showed that the urhobo traditional justice system in relation to adultery is oppressive to urhobo. Arrangement of sections 1 part 1 preliminary purpose. Forum on crime and society, strengthening judicial.
Juvenile delinquency refers to the antisocial and criminal behaviour involving individuals below the age of 18. The constitution guarantees the independence of the judiciary and permits the exercise of sharia law for consenting muslims. The urhobo traditional justice system in nigeria in the. 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. States with poorly functioning legal systems and poor crime control. The study examines the practical operation of different aspects of the juvenile justice system in nigeria from pretrial proceedings to committal. 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. Criminal code act chapter 77 laws of the federation of nigeria 1990 arrangement of sections the original numbering of sections has been retained in order not to disturb the cross references to those sections in other enactments which are many and will be found throughout the whole edition 1. Department of justice, launched a design project to assess the feasibility of conducting a national private security survey npss. Problems in the administration of criminal justice in nigeria. However, in practice, judges would normally combine a suspended order with a probation. An effective criminal justice system is one of the key pillars upon which the concept of the rule. Victims of crime are the central focus in the criminal justice system cjs of.
Under the nigeria criminal justice system, the police are empowered to prosecute criminal cases at the magistrate courts, while the director of public prosecutions, in the attorney general s office of each state prosecute very serious offences like murder, armed robbery, treason e. Etannibi alemika of the university of jos, nigeria worried about inadequate official attention to academic study of crime, criminology and criminal justice discipline in africa particularly in nigeria. Juvenile delinquency and justice in lagos state, nigeria. Pdf the merged african court of justice and human rights. Administration of criminal justice act, 2015 section. Phil law faculty of law, university of ilorin, nigeria. World factbook of criminal justice systems nigeria by obi n. Urging participants at the conference to come up with strong recommendations that will assist in reforming nigerias criminal justice system, he said as a nation, we have made a leap in an. Pdf criminal justice system and the conflicts of environmental. In all, one is left to wonder if the nigerian criminal justice system does not further.
The nigeria criminal justice system and its effectiveness in criminal behaviour control. Militarization of nigerian society biko agozino and unyierie idem. Th is monograph provides us with an important opportunity to engage in the debate through exploring various themes on the expression of democracy and justice through the workings of. These declarations should guide the resilience and doggedness of the new inspector general of police, mr onovo in aiding the administration of. 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. A study on the desirability for probation and parole in nigerias criminal justice system abdulkarim, yahaya on. Chapters by prisoners inside kirikiri maximum security prison in lagos, nigeria are published alongside chapters by scholars and activists. Assessing the administration of criminal justice in.
October december, 2009 nigerian juvenile justice 573 m. This paper is therefore intended to examine the real role of the police in the administration of justice in nigeria. Read all the latest news, breaking stories, top headlines, opinion, pictures and videos about criminal justice system from nigeria and the world on today. Juvenile justice system is an integral part of the criminal justice system. Rather than abate, overcrowding continues to be of major concerns to both the government and the criminal justice system. Criminal justice system is a threat to the rule of law and all other indices of democracy and good governance. An appraisal of the administration of criminal justice act. Probation as a non custodial measure in nigeria umes. The provisions of this act shall take effect subject to the provisions of the penal code northern states federal provisions act. The bureau of justice statistics bjs, an independent statistical agency located within the u. 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. The administration of criminal justice act, 2015 acja lawpavilion.
An examination of incarceration alternatives moses u. The process commences when the police has a reasonable suspicion that a person has either committed a crime or is committing a crime. Generally, the criminal justice system is comprised of three organs. The problems in nigerians criminal justice system especially its prisons are so blatant and egregious that the nigerian government has had no choice but to recognize them and has pledged many times that it will reform the system, said aster van kregten, amnesty internationals nigeria researcher, speaking at a press. Criminal code act laws subsidiary legislation laws arrangement of sections the original numbering of sections has been retained in order not to disturb the crossreferences to those sections in other enactments which are many and will be found throughout the whole edition. Kenya has an informal, customary criminal justice system. In this monograph, four eminent critics and researchers examine the theory and practice of criminal justice in africa. 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. Find below the link to download the 2015 administration of criminal justice act acja. Access to justice is an essential instrument for human rights and the rule of law to flourish in nigeria. She has taught undergraduate and graduate courses on international criminal justice.
These agencies work in synergy in the prevention, deterrence, apprehension, investigation, trial, punishment and rehabilitation of offenders. Judicial system of nigeria commonwealth governance. Css 672 criminal justice administration national open university. The supreme court is presided over by the chief justice and has up to 15 justices. Before joining the bank, she was deputy director of the international division. To understand the criminal justice system in nigeria, one needs an illustration of how it works. Ebbe state university of new york at brockport this country report is one of many prepared for the world factbook of criminal justice systems under grant no. Part 2 arrest, bail and preventive justice 3 arrest generally. The idea of acja evokes circumstances, conditions or objects of restraint. The criminal justice system in nigeria criminology project. A combine reading of section 78 of the penal code and section 365 of the.
Nigerias criminal justice system in 2017 the guardian. A pioneering book on prisons in west africa,colonial systems of control. Assessment of the integrity vienna international centre, p. Southern nigeria protectorate merged in 1906 and with further amalgamation of the northern nigeria protectorate there emerged in. Pdf time to reform nigerias criminal justice system tosin osasona abstract. 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. The criminal justice system consists of several tracts adult and juvenile process. Its court system conforms with the british system of indirect rule that had once existed when the colonial government allowed local chiefs to rule the rural areas of kenya. Administration of criminal justice act clause arrangement of clauses part 1 preliminary 1 purpose of this act. Unlike the united states, nigeria has ratified the convention on the rights of the child, and taken steps to domesticate it through its own. An investigation on the application of criminal justice. A study on the desirability for probation and parole in nigerias criminal justice system. The euphoria that accompanied the passage of the administration of criminal justice act 2015 acja 2015 should therefore be understood from these perspectives. Unfortunately, the nigerian criminal justice system is fundamentally flawed and the.