Perception of failed system cause of mob justice – Kofi Abotsi

The Dean of the Faculty of law, GIMPA lawyer Kofi Abotsi says that the perception of failed system is the cause of mob justice.

He indicated that mob justice is mainly a reflection of people's lost confidence and faith in the judicial system and that if people think thieves and alleged criminals will invariably be freed and freed not because of innocence but freed because the system is corrupted they invariably resort to mob justice.

According to the lawyer, “mob justice is normally a psychological phenomenon known as the group think or group mentality, where people kill or beat other people just because others are doing it. Nonetheless is a reflection in the case of Ghana of a failed system. There is a notion that our judicial system is either corrupted, not efficient, runs too slowly or has been bought by the richest”.

“When you have these perceptions, people think that the best place to administer justice is on the streets,” he said.

He cautioned how dangerous it is for the people to have the perception that the justice system is corrupted or hijacked by the rich and the elite or not understood. He then suggested that there is the need to build confidence in the mindset of the people as far as the justice system is a concern.

According to the lawyer, there is defiance and stone walling attitude among lawyers and judges and stakeholders of not really being interested in explaining things to people in demystifying some of the myth in bringing justice to the people.

“There have been reforms in the last 10 years or more but probably the reforms have been slower than they should have been, probably the demystification project has been taken for granted and the consequence are being felt,” he said.

Kofi Abotsi further cautioned that if justice is not demystified it will lead to an insurrection against the judicial system.