Sierra Leone: A country review of crime and criminal justice, 2008

This report evaluates the state of juvenile justice in Sierra Leone as of 2008, focusing on the alignment of national laws and institutional practices with international standards such as the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). It identifies significant gaps in legal definitions of childhood, a lack of specialized juvenile courts, and inadequate detention facilities, noting that children are frequently detained with adults or held arbitrarily due to systemic inefficiencies.

• Sierra Leonean legislation contains conflicting definitions regarding the age of a child. While the Child Rights Act of 2007 and international treaties define a child as anyone below 18 years, other laws vary: the Children and Young Persons Act of 1960 generally applies to those below 17, the Prevention of Cruelty to Children Act of 1960 defines a child as below 16, and the Sierra Leone Citizens Act of 1973 considers full age to be 21.
• Juvenile offenders are frequently detained with adults in violation of national and international law. This occurs primarily because the Approved School for juvenile detention was in a 'deplorable condition' and no other country-wide facilities were available, forcing the state to use the Pademba Road Maximum Prison.
• The juvenile trial process suffers from severe institutional constraints, including the absence of a dedicated Juvenile Court. Cases are heard in adult courts in the afternoons, often leading to trials ending as late as 17:00. This lack of specialized venue also results in privacy breaches, where juveniles are sometimes tried in the presence of adult litigants.
• Access to legal representation for juveniles is extremely limited. While the Constitution provides for legal aid, no legislation exists to implement this right. Most juveniles, particularly street children, are unrepresented, though NGOs like Defence for Children International (DCI) occasionally provide lawyers.
• Detention facilities, including the Approved School and Remand Homes in Freetown and Bo, lack essential services. There are no on-site medical facilities, and formal or vocational education is largely non-operational due to a lack of materials and trained teachers, despite the presence of some classrooms and equipment provided by the JSDP.
• The Ministry of Social Welfare, Gender and Children’s Affairs (MSWGCA) is severely underfunded and understaffed, making it heavily dependent on partners like UNICEF. This lack of resources extends to the Probation Unit, where a shortage of qualified social workers prevents effective monitoring and the implementation of child protection activities in remote areas.
• Personnel handling juveniles, including police, court clerks, and detention staff, have not received specific training on juvenile justice, which contravenes UN Rules. While some general court procedure training occurred in 2006, it did not focus on the specific needs of juveniles.

APA

Institute for Security Studies (2009). Sierra Leone: A country review of crime and criminal justice, 2008. https://issafrica.org/01-may-2009-monograph-no-160-sierra-leone.-a-country-review-of-crime-and-criminal-justice-2008-african-human-security-initiative/chapter-7-juvenile-justice

Chicago

Institute for Security Studies. Sierra Leone: A country review of crime and criminal justice, 2008. 2009. https://issafrica.org/01-may-2009-monograph-no-160-sierra-leone.-a-country-review-of-crime-and-criminal-justice-2008-african-human-security-initiative/chapter-7-juvenile-justice.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Institute for Security Studies |title=Sierra Leone: A country review of crime and criminal justice, 2008 |date=May 2009 |url=https://issafrica.org/01-may-2009-monograph-no-160-sierra-leone.-a-country-review-of-crime-and-criminal-justice-2008-african-human-security-initiative/chapter-7-juvenile-justice |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{instituteforsecuritystudies2009sierra, author = {{Institute for Security Studies}}, title = {{Sierra Leone: A country review of crime and criminal justice, 2008}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2009}, month = may, url = {https://issafrica.org/01-may-2009-monograph-no-160-sierra-leone.-a-country-review-of-crime-and-criminal-justice-2008-african-human-security-initiative/chapter-7-juvenile-justice}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }