[ad_1]
As a way of improving the criminal justice administration in the African Sub-region, the Juristrust Centre for Socio-Legal Research and Documentation on Tuesday commenced a three-day conference on, “Consolidating Reforms in Criminal Justice and its Administration – Best Practices”.
The conference, organised in collaboration with the MacArthur Foundation holding in Abuja, was to facilitate the exchange of knowledge and experience between attendees with reference to best practices in the criminal justice system.
The conference, according to Mr. Gbemi Jaiyebo of the Juristrust Center for Socio-Legal Research and Documentation will bring out perspectives, from African countries with comparable Criminal Justice systems by speakers from Rwanda Kenya, Malawi and South Africa.
Jaiyebo, in his welcome remarks, said the three-day conference will examine relevant sub-themes, which include anti-corruption trials, case management, pre-trial detention, non-custodial punishment and restorative justice, “With a view to improving the criminal justice system of the country.”
ALSO READ FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
In his speech, the Director of MacArthur Foundation, Dr. Kole Shettima said, the conference, which, he described as very critical and important, will help in the promotion of the country’s criminal justice administration.
He said, his Foundation has supported programs that bolster the momentum around Nigerian-led efforts to strengthen accountability and reduce corruption in the country.
Shettima said, the MacArthur Foundation has supported several groups and organisations in Nigeria in programs and activities geared towards improving criminal justice system in the country.
Speaking on the objectives of the conference, Prof. Adedeji Adekunle (SAN) from the Juristrust Centre for Socio-Legal Research And Documentation said, it affords participants, from various countries of the African sub-region the opportunity to deliberate on the state of prisons and inmates as well as the slow pace of criminal Justice administration in the region.
“We have participants from Ghana, Rwanda, Mali, Uganda and South Africa. The conference will give us the opportunity to learn from one another to improve the criminal justice administration is our various countries.
“All these will lead to a process of decongesting our prisons and proffer ways of rehabilitating convicts in the country”, Prof. Adekunle stated.
Declaring the conference open, the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Olukayode Ariwoolaa, represented by a Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Centus Nweze, called on the organizers of the conference to invite Judges when next they are organising such conference to, “enable them (Judges) listen to experts’ opinion in the legal profession”.
[ad_2]
