Access to Justice in an Informal Urban Settlement in Accra, Ghana
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 8400436 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Thomas D Akoensi (0000-0002-5072-2576), Amy E Nivette (0000-0003-0597-3648) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Publication date | 2025-12-25 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The British Journal of Criminology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0007-0955 • E-ISSN: 1464-3529 |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1093/bjc/azaf107 |
| OpenAlex | W7110906309 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 25 |
Informal social justice—a process whereby people seek justice beyond the formal criminal justice system—is an important concept in the social sciences. Whilst informal justice such as traditional (e.g., chiefs) and religious authorities (e.g., imams) has the potential to improve justice in both urban and rural settings in developing countries due to limited opportunities to access the criminal justice system, informal social justice has received limited attention in the criminological discourse. Our main aim in this study is to identify the users of informal justice mechanisms in a major slum in Ghana’s capital of Accra, where both formal and informal justice systems coexist. Using semi-structured interviews with various traditional justice actors—providers, users and witnesses—we identify slum residents’ access to informal justice and a broad range of experiences associated with the use of traditional justice, such as satisfaction with the processes and outcomes, and the legitimacy conferred on such institutions. We further discuss some implications of these findings in relation to conflict resolution, gender empowerment, and the criminal justice system
Criminal justice · Economic Justice · Informal sector · Informal settlements · Informal social control · Legitimacy · Slum · Crime Patterns and Interventions · Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis · Urban and Rural Development Challenges
The Social Psychology of Procedural Justice
Restorative and flexible customary procedures and their gendered impact
Why Do People Use Informal Justice? Experimental Evidence from Kosovo
When Does Dispute Resolution Hold? Lessons from Three Ghanaian Case-Studies
Determinants of satisfaction with police in a developing country
The Transitional Justice Gap
Undignified Jurispathy
Application of Muslim Family Law as a Form of Customary Law in Accra, Ghana
Please Give Me My Voice”
Resolving land conflicts through Alternative Dispute Resolution
Procedural Justice, Legitimacy, and the Effective Rule of Law
Urban crime trends and patterns in Ghana
Public Cooperation With the Police in Ghana
Public Confidence in the Police
Hybrid security governance in Africa
Weber and the Classification of Forms of Legitimacy
Courting Custom
Situational Trust
Customary Legal Empowerment in Namibia and Ghana? Lessons about Access, Power and Participation in Non-state Justice Systems
| Highly cited | No |
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