The Centre for Transperancy Advocacy has advised security personnel and judicial officers in Abia State to treat defendants in cases with dignity.CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>
This is even as the group has called for the establishment of juvenile centre where underaged persons who are arrested for offenses are counseled.
The call was made in Umuahia on Thursday by Chiemezielam Steve, the facilitator of the group, during a training program it organized for security personnel and judicial officers in Abia State.
The training was on enhancing professional competencies for effective implementation of Abia State administration of criminal justice law (ACJL 2017), in collaboration with the Abia State Ministry of Justice.
Ukoha, a lawyer, said that when underaged children are kept in the same rooms with hardened older criminals in correctional facilities or Police cells, they usually come out from the facilities worse than before, having mixed up with some dangerous characters inside the cells.
She also condemned a situation where some inmates are brought to court without footwear or with torn clothes, saying that it is wrong for a private individual or community security operatives to detain an arrested offender in their own facilities for days without taking such person to the Police for proper investigation and prosecution.
The facilitator who admonished Abia residents on the need to know their rights, said a citizen should be made to know why he is being arrested, and also be informed of the right to be charged to court, and the right to cross examine any witness in his case.
She further said that a defendant should have his lawyer present when making confessional statement, pointing out that video evidence of such confession should be available to serve as an evidence that the defendant actually made such confession.
Earlier in her welcome speech, the Executive Director of Centre For Transperancy, Faith Nwadishi, said that the three day program is to strengthen access to justice for all Abia people through effective implementation of the Abia State Administration of Criminal Justice Law, 2017.CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>
Keeping kids in adult cells, societal time bomb – Group
