Failing young offenders: Juvenile justice in Sierra Leone, Tanzania and Zambia

This policy brief argues that juvenile justice systems in Sierra Leone, Tanzania, and Zambia have failed to evolve alongside British law and international standards. It highlights a lack of priority for rehabilitation over retribution and a failure to provide dedicated facilities for children during legal proceedings, despite the states' commitment to the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

• Juvenile justice reform in Sierra Leone, Tanzania, and Zambia has been slow and inadequate compared to the evolution of British law since decolonisation, as their legal systems were originally simple copies of the colonial power's criminal justice system.
• Despite being party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), the laws in Sierra Leone, Tanzania, and Zambia fail to consistently prioritize reform and rehabilitation over retribution or incorporate principles of limited criminal liability for minors. Consequently, children in conflict with the law often face treatment inconsistent with their dignity and worth and lack guaranteed rights.
• International standards for an effective juvenile justice system, as defined by the Beijing Rules, the Havana Rules, and the Riyadh Guidelines, require dedicated facilities for children during arrest, trial, and detention.

APA

Robins, S. (n.d.). Failing young offenders: Juvenile justice in Sierra Leone, Tanzania and Zambia. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.org/research/policy-brief/failing-young-offenders-juvenile-justice-in-sierra-leone-tanzania-and-zambia

Chicago

Robins, Simon. Failing young offenders: Juvenile justice in Sierra Leone, Tanzania and Zambia. Institute for Security Studies, n.d. https://issafrica.org/research/policy-brief/failing-young-offenders-juvenile-justice-in-sierra-leone-tanzania-and-zambia.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Robins |first1=Simon |title=Failing young offenders: Juvenile justice in Sierra Leone, Tanzania and Zambia |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |url=https://issafrica.org/research/policy-brief/failing-young-offenders-juvenile-justice-in-sierra-leone-tanzania-and-zambia |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{robinsndfailing, author = {Robins, Simon}, title = {{Failing young offenders: Juvenile justice in Sierra Leone, Tanzania and Zambia}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, url = {https://issafrica.org/research/policy-brief/failing-young-offenders-juvenile-justice-in-sierra-leone-tanzania-and-zambia}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }