A lawyer, Joyce Chiamaka Iwejuo has decried the slow pace of criminal justice administration in the country.
Giving statistics on inmates at Enugu State correctional service, Iwejuo said there are 2,521 inmates with 1,997 of them awaiting trial, while convicted ones are 127.
She lamented that about 85 percent of the inmates at the Enugu State correctional facility are awaiting trial, adding that justice delayed is justice denied.
Her words: “A man is arrested for stealing. If he is charged and convicted, he would be sentenced to three years imprisonment.
The man would be awaiting trial for 10 years in prison. What is more painful is when it happens that the fellow didn’t commit the said offense. If eventually he is charged and found innocent, 10 years of his life have been sacrificed on the altar of delay. Did he get Justice under such circumstances?” She asked.
Iwejuo noted that the criminal justice system is accusatory, adding that the burden of proof is on the prosecution to prove beyond all reasonable doubt and to lead to cogent evidence showing how a person committed an offense.
She said: “For you to be able to prove a case diligently, an investigation must have been duly conducted and finalized before an arrest must be made.
Why arrest without due investigation? If the state is sure that an inmate has erred, the State is mandated by law to charge the fellow to court and have him punished accordingly.”
She regretted that some of the people awaiting trial were not allowed to contact their families at the time of arrest or given access to a legal practitioner.
The courts have in a plethora of cases frowned at this wicked awaiting trial system. Everyone deserves a fair chance at justice.
Justice is the live wire of the judiciary. Justice is a three-way traffic and it is being sacrificed on the altar of delay, when justice delayed is justice denied,” Iwejuo declared.
In this article
Criminal justice administration
Joyce Chiamaka Iwejuo
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