Delta State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Isaiah Bozimo, has reiterated the determination of the state government to always interface with stakeholders to ensure appropriate implementation of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law in the state.
Mr. Bozimo stated this in his office in Asaba when the newly posted Controller of Correctional Centre, Delta State Command, Mr. Babafemi Jaiyeoba, paid him a courtesy call.
He said that the Administration of Criminal Justice Law (ACJL), 2022 had introduced several reforms and measures to ensure efficient conduct of trials regarding criminal justice sector.
Mr. Bozimo stated that the Administration of Criminal Justice Law had made it possible for the decongestion of the custodial centres across the state, adding that it was the reason for constant significant emphasis on reforming it.
He lauded key stakeholders in the custodial centres for the domestication of the law for the benefits of the people of the state, stressing that the implementation of the law which was first domesticated in 2016 was not working as envisioned.
He said that the 2022 ACJL was aimed at moving Criminal Justice from punitive to reformative, noting that the law had given judges and magistrates the option of imposing non-custodial measures.
He stated that awareness was being created on the new provisions of the law, adding that the Ministry of Justice in the state had earmarked the correctional services as key stakeholders.
Mr. Bozimo recalled that the ministry was reforming the ACJL 2016, written to the correctional services for their memorandum on areas they felt the ACJL should incorporate.
While pledging robust working relationship with the new controller, Mr. Bozimo said that measures had been introduced to track the success of the law through the ACJL Monitoring Committee.
He said that the ministry would leverage data collation and analysis to ensure that the measures had direct impact on the operations of the custodial centres.
Earlier, Mr. Jaiyeoba appreciated the Attorney-General for his numerous impacts in the Justice System, explaining that he was in the commissioner’s office to familiarise with him as the new controller of the correctional centre in the state.
He stressed the need to strengthen the cordial working relationship with the commissioner and the Ministry of Justice, describing the quality of legal advice and tempo at which they received the legal advice from the ministry as commendable.
