Criminal Justice System Essay

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The outdated nature of the Nigerian criminal justice system has been a topic for deliberation in recent times. Rightly put, there is work to be done by the legislative arm of the Nigerian government as the present procedures for adjudication of laws are old and present a problem to judicial officers as there are loopholes which are frequently exploited, and its archaic nature makes it unfit for use in a modern society. The criminal justice system is defined as the collective institutions through which an offender passes until the accusation has been disposed of or the assessed punishment concluded. The system typically has three components: law enforcement which includes; police, sheriffs, marshals; the judicial process which includes the judges, prosecutors, defense lawyers; and corrections which includes the prison officials, probation officers and parole officers . By the above definition, it can be elicited that the criminal justice system is a necessary organ of a functioning society, and it is necessary that an organ of such invaluable importance be kept in good shape. An effective criminal justice system is fundamental to the maintenance of law and order this is because it addresses behavioral issues, but due to the outdated nature of the Nigerian criminal system, the pivotal functions of the organ which is conviction and acquittal have been hindered drastically and have become exceedingly rare. The Nigerian criminal justice system is an offshoot of the constitution and therefore derives its backing and legal foundation from the statute. This is mostly contained in the sections providing for the powers and jurisdiction of various courts and also sections providing for human rights particularly the provisions relati...

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...n order to win his/her case or the res gestae which in some cases may require scientific proof. Another area of grave concern in our criminal justice as pertains to bails is the fact that our judges routinely impose excessive and harsh bail terms, which forces the suspect to remain in custody even after being admitted to bail. This tends to suggest that even the judges see the bail stage as the most important part of their work. Also, it tends to show that the judges do not really care about the issues of the constitutional presumptions of innocence and fair hearing. The issue of fair hearing needs to be emphasized at this point because if the suspect is unduly held in detention pending his trial, he may effectively be denied the opportunity to defend himself. Also, an abusive law enforcement agency and prosecutor would see the pre-trial detention due to a denial of

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