Last week, the government, through the Ministry of Justice launched two important policies; the Criminal Justice Policy and the Alternative Dispute Resolution Policy, which are both billed to significantly improve the criminal justice system in the country. This is a latest development that follows a series of reforms in the judicial sector that have seen it rise from shambles just two decades ago to the progressive system now competing among the world’s very best. This is not by accident. It mirrors other sectors in the post-genocide Rwanda. The two policies are expected to give a major boost to the country’s quest to push for restorative justice, rather than the conventionally practiced retributive justice. They are also attuned to the country’s ambitious development roadmap, the National Strategy for Transformation (NST 1). The criminal justice policy, which is the first of its kind for the Rwandan justice sector, goes beyond the traditional institutions that are along the criminal justice chain and looks at aspects like the offender’s rehabilitation and re-socialisation, key elements which are often-times ignored in the dispensation of justice. This policy will be reinforced by the Alternative Dispute Resolution Policy, which among others, is expected to help decongest prison facilities and improve cohesion in communities through initiatives like mediation and plea-bargaining. That the two policies were developed after a wide consultation that involved all stakeholders including those in government, civil society, private sector and development partners, is something that should be commended. It makes implementation easier because you expect everyone is on board. It is however important to continue sensitizing the communities on the rationale behind this shift, and put in place the necessary to ensure it does not leave cracks that could encourage recidivism among offenders, which may lead to loss of trust by the citizenry of the criminal justice system which has been earned over the years. Fortunately, the consultations made ahead of the formulation make a good start for the education of the general public to understand this spirit and actively participate in the implementation.
