SIERRA LEONE: A country review of crime and criminal justice, 2008

This executive summary of a 2008 country review by the Institute for Security Studies examines the state of crime and criminal justice in Sierra Leone. It details how a history of authoritarianism and a civil war (1991–2002) led to the collapse of state infrastructure and the justice system. While post-conflict reforms have focused on the police and armed forces, the report finds systemic failures across policing, prosecution, prisons, the judiciary, and juvenile justice, including outdated laws, severe underfunding, and corruption.

• The Sierra Leone Police (SLP) suffers from inadequate budgetary allocations, poor remuneration, and a negative public perception. The force is described as politicised, and there is a critical shortage of State Counsels due to a lack of incentives.
• Prosecution services are hampered by poor funding, a lack of qualified state counsel, and outdated legislation, specifically the Criminal Procedures Act of 1965. Political interference is attributed to the fusion of the offices of the Attorney-General and the Minister of Justice.
• Prisons are characterized by overcrowding, poor living conditions, and a lack of resources. There is a specific need for remand homes in Makeni and Kenema to stop the practice of housing juveniles with adults.
• The judiciary is divided by a dual legal and court system separating the provinces from Freetown, which creates injustice. The system is further weakened by corruption, high legal costs for citizens, and the historical use of the Public Order Act of 1965 to violate human rights.
• Access to justice is severely limited for juveniles and the poor, with no specific courts for juvenile cases and an underfunded Ministry of Social Welfare, Gender and Children’s Affairs (MSWGCA). Some customary law practices are noted to violate women's rights.
• Customary justice is the primary means of dispute resolution for up to 70 per cent of the population who lack access to the formal system. However, local courts are understaffed, lack state subsidies, and face political interference.
• While Sierra Leone has signed and ratified many international conventions and shown commitment to these obligations, there is often an unacceptably long delay between ratification and actual implementation.

APA

Institute for Security Studies (2009). SIERRA LEONE: A country review of crime and criminal justice, 2008. https://issafrica.org/19-aug-2009-iss-today-why-is-justice-still-elusive-for-the-majority-of-africans/01-may-2009-monograph-no-160-sierra-leone.-a-country-review-of-crime-and-criminal-justice-2008-african-human-security-initiative/executive-summary

Chicago

Institute for Security Studies. SIERRA LEONE: A country review of crime and criminal justice, 2008. 2009. https://issafrica.org/19-aug-2009-iss-today-why-is-justice-still-elusive-for-the-majority-of-africans/01-may-2009-monograph-no-160-sierra-leone.-a-country-review-of-crime-and-criminal-justice-2008-african-human-security-initiative/executive-summary.

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/19-aug-2009-iss-today-why-is-justice-still-elusive-for-the-majority-of-africans/01-may-2009-monograph-no-160-sierra-leone.-a-country-review-of-crime-and-criminal-justice-2008-african-human-security-initiative/executive-summary |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/19-aug-2009-iss-today-why-is-justice-still-elusive-for-the-majority-of-africans/01-may-2009-monograph-no-160-sierra-leone.-a-country-review-of-crime-and-criminal-justice-2008-african-human-security-initiative/executive-summary}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }