Community-Based Justice Research (CBJR) – Sierra Leone

UNDERSTANDING THE COSTS AND BENEFITS OF COMMUNITY-BASED JUSTICE SERVICES IN SIERRA LEONE

CENTER FOR ALTERNATIVE POLICY RESEARCH & INNOVATION (CAPRI)
Freetown, Sierra Leone
Website: www.caprisl.org
Email: contact@caprisl.org

LEAD RESEARCH TEAM
Felix Marco Conteh, Aisha Fofana Ibrahim, Yakama Manty Jones, Henry Mbawa Jr and Sonkita Conteh.

BACKGROUND
In Sierra Leone, injustice especially in rural areas, ranks high in the literature on the causes of the country’s civil war. There has since been progress in reforming various aspects of justice service delivery such as the appointment of district resident magistrates, the enactment of the Local Court Act of 2011, the increased number of primary justice service providers undertaking legal empowerment related work and the setting up of the Legal Aid Board (LAB). Notwithstanding, significant challenges still remain as citizens continue to face difficulties in their paths to accessing justice, not least due to the pluralistic nature of the justice system. As with many post-colonial African states, Sierra Leone inherited what can be broadly termed a dual justice system: formal justice – the judiciary comprising the magistrate’s court, high court, supreme and appeal courts and the “informal justice system”, often referred to as the customary system – comprising the local courts and those of traditional chiefs who resolve disputes based on customs, values, and traditions practiced over generations. The structure and practice of the formal justice system are based on English common law which was inherited from the former colonial power – Britain. It is in operation in Freetown – the former colony and nation’s capital city, as well as district headquarter towns and cities. Both systems are recognized by the 1965 Courts Act and 2011 Local Courts Act.

PROJECT OVERVIEW
The “Understanding the Costs and Benefits of Community-Based Justice Services in Sierra Leone” study will go a long way in providing important, empirical research on the interplay between these systems, the costs of facilitating community-based justice services and the benefits of these services. The overarching objective of the study is to contribute to the body of knowledge on approaches to expanding access to justice services both in Sierra Leone and globally, in a cost-effective, strategic and sustainable manner that ensures value for money for funders, as well as optimising benefits for service users, and to ensure that gender considerations become important aspects of analysis in the dispensation of, and access to justice.