The Solicitor General of the Federation (SGF) and Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Justice, Mrs Beatrice Jeddy-Agba said, the Federal Government is building a system that will punish wrongdoing and promote healing for victims.
She stated this on Thursday while addressing a 3-day validation session for legal and regulatory frameworks for restorative justice document: The policy bill, practice directions, and training manual held in Abuja.
The Perm-Secretary said the criminal justice system faces tremendous challenges, ranging from recidivism, the prolonged duration for trials, overcrowded custodial centers, and the failure of punishment for offenses to meet with standards of justice for the victims and survivors of crime.
These challenges, she said, are addressed through restorative justice mechanisms, with the overall objective of improving the criminal justice system.
As part of restorative justice mechanisms, she said, the Ministry will support the establishment of Restorative Justice Centres, to run as forms of alternative dispute resolution and will be deployed as tools for decongesting many of the less serious cases in the docket of the courts, which will invariably decrease the overcrowded correctional centres.
“It is proposed that the centre will receive referrals from the Police, Courts and Prosecutors to settle criminal matters amicably”, she said and enjoined all stakeholders at the event to critically review and appraise the restorative justice documents to ensure that they meet minimum standards for implementation of restorative justice mechanisms.
“It is our hope that upon validation and eventual passage, these legal and regulatory frameworks may serve as model to be adopted by the states, so that restorative justice mechanisms can be cascaded down to local communities for the benefit of victims and survivors of crime”.
She stressed the need to support government policies towards reforming the criminal justice system, particularly through developing restorative justice mechanisms.
Jeddy-Agba added that restorative justice seeks to repair harm by providing an opportunity for those harmed and the perpetrators to communicate and address needs in the aftermath of a crime, allows offenders to make amends and to try to correct some of their wrongs and hurt which they may have caused to their victims.
Jeddy-Agba said the goal of restorative justice is to give victims an active role in the criminal justice process and to reduce feelings of anxiety and powerlessness.
While the traditional criminal justice process solely focuses on punishment for the offender, restorative justice focuses on victims and survivors who have been harmed by the conduct of the offender.
She said that victims are empowered to participate more fully than in the traditional system, and the community also has an important role to play by establishing standards of conduct and helping to provide support to the parties involved.
The session which was sponsored by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) was part of the Ministry’s commitment to improving the criminal justice system and making it work better for victims and survivors of crime.
The event, she said, provides the opportunity to review, develop, enhance, and collectively adopt the proposed legal and regulatory frameworks in support of restorative justice, including the Policy, Draft Bill, Practice Direction, and Training Manual.
Earlier in her opening remarks, the Director of, Administration of Criminal Justice Reform (ACJR) department of the Ministry, Mrs. Leticia Ayoola-Daniels said, the session was a testament to the Federal Government’s dedication to reforming the justice system to better serve the people, explaining that Restorative Justice represents a paradigm shift from the traditional punitive approach to one that emphasizes healing, rehabilitation, and reconciliation.
She said, “It is relevant now more than ever as we face the challenges of recidivism, overcrowded correctional facilities, and lengthy prosecution processes”.
Ayoola-Daniels said, sections 314 and 319 of the ACJA empower courts to award compensation to victims, which is a fundamental component of restorative practices.
Additionally, she said, the Act promotes non-custodial measures such as community service, which aligns with the principles of Restorative Justice.
“Our ultimate goal is to have a justice system that not only punishes offenders but also heals communities and restores relationships”, she said and added that after the successful validation of the Restorative Justice documents, the Ministry will embark on a series of activities to ensure the effective implementation of the transformative approach to justice.
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