Criminal Justice Reform in Sub-Saharan Africa

This book considers the challenges faced within criminal justice systems across a range of African jurisdictions, identifying recent efforts at reform, and highlighting instances of best practice.

Most African countries continue to experience issues of unlawful pre-trial detention, human rights abuses in prisons, long periods of awaiting trials, and prolonged criminal trials. The presence of these issues mars criminal justice processes and judicial oversight functions, and risks feeding corruption and increasing risks of torture, as well as negatively impacting suspects, their families, and communities. Drawing on insights from African academics, judges, and legal practitioners, this book considers recent criminal justice reforms across Burundi, Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, and South Africa. Authors focus on best practice for managing pre-trial detention, implementing effective non-custodial measures, expediting trials, and exploring the role of restorative justice in criminal justice administration.

The comparative insights and best practice for reform implementation highlighted in this book will be useful for legal and criminal justice researchers, as well as legal practitioners and policy makers working on criminal justice reform in sub-Saharan Africa.