Briefing Paper

The Theory and Practice of Criminal Justice in Africa

“Reforms of African criminal justice systems need to focus on a number of key issues: first, they need to based on a commitment to develop a justice system that seeks to deliver an efficient and equitable form of justice rather than one which maintains position of power for elites; second, they need to reflect the needs of the society of
which they are set down to govern and therefore should engage mechanisms to enable that process to take place, for instance through community consultation; third,they need to incorporate restorative measures and focus on the communal effects of the process, both in terms of negative effects associated with retributive systems
and positive effects associated with restorative systems;fourth, they should develop the technical ability of the
criminal justice system to dispense justice in an efficient and equitable manner when needed; they should link to other societal reform processes in order to synergize initiatives and reduce the patterns of structural violence that exacerbate levels of crime.”