‘There’s no functioning child panel in this region’
An assessment of child panels in Ghana’s juvenile justice system
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21611093 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Robert Ame (Human Rights and Criminology, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Canada, corresponding author), Lilian Ayete-Nyampong (Approches contemporaines de la création et de la réflexion artistiques), Dzifa Ami Gakpleazi (Business Administration, Ashesi University, Berekuso, Ghana) |
| Year | 2020 |
| Volume | 23 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 373-400 |
| Publication date | 2020-10-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Contemporary Justice Review (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1028-2580 • E-ISSN: 1477-2248 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/10282580.2020.1719362 |
| OpenAlex | W3003530699 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 23 |
Child Panels (CPs) are quasi-judicial bodies charged with administering alternative measures in accordance with the Juvenile Justice Act and the Children’s Act in Ghana. This study set out to examine the functioning, relevance, efficiency, and sustainability of CPs. Drawing on qualitative research methods of observation, semi-structured interviews, and a case study, the major findings of this study include a lack of awareness of the concept and existence of CPs with only one functioning CP in 12 districts in the study area that were supposed to have them, and a general lack of training for members of the panel. Notwithstanding these findings, when researchers prodded, interviewees’ responses pointed to tremendous support for the concept of CPs. The paper argues that implemented well, CPs have the potential to enhance access to justice for all children in the country considering their composition and requirement that they be formed by every municipal and district assembly in the country, which makes them more accessible to parents and their children everywhere in the country than other state agencies within the juvenile justice system. Hence, the paper recommends that CPs should be equipped to function efficiently
Economic Justice · Juvenile · Political science · Qualitative research · Social science · Sociology · Sustainability · Computer Science · Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis · Homelessness and Social Issues · Law · Migration, Health and Trauma · Psychology · Ecology
Juvenile Justice, Young People and Human Rights in Australia
Human rights and youth justice reform in England and Wales
Creating the Youth Justice Board
Towards a relevant and sustainable juvenile justice system in Ghana
The Rights of Children in Conflict with the Law in Ghana
Perceptions of state child welfare administrators regarding federally-mandated citizen review panels
Key features of effective citizen–state child welfare partnerships
Restorative justice's deep roots in Africa
The Origins of the Contemporary Juvenile Justice System in Ghana
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |