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A Critical Assessment of Public Administration and Civil
Disobedience in Developing African Democracies: An Institutional
Analysis of Mob Justice in Ghana

+,,anuel -eboa.-/ssia,a.
0
1.o,as /gye2u, 3yere,e.

4e#art,ent of Public /d,inistration 5 6ealt. Ser7ices 8anage,ent, P.'.9o: LG ;), <ni7ersity of G.ana
9usiness Sc.ool, Legon-G.ana
0 +-,ail of t.e corres#onding aut.or= yi,,anuel>ya.oo.co, to,ylee***!>ya.oo.co,

Abstract
Public ad,inistration e:ists #ri,arily to enforce laws and t.e e:tent to w.ic. t.is ,andate is carried out
es#ouses trust a,ong citizenry in t.e entire #olitical syste,. 1.e study ai,ed at assessing t.e relations.i#
between institutional effecti7eness and ci7il disobedience in G.ana using t.e s#ecific case of .ow #erce#tion of
unres#onsi7e #olice and legal syste,s do contribute to ,ob ?ustice. 1.e study ado#ted t.e case of Ni,a
@o,,unity in Greater /ccra Aegion. 1.e study sa,#led *4! res#ondents in7ol7ing 4! #olice officials and *!!
co,,unity ,e,bers using t.e si,#le rando, and #ur#osi7e sa,#ling tec.niBues. Se,i-structured
Buestionnaire was t.e ,ain researc. instru,ent. Cindings of t.e study re7ealed t.at ,ob ?ustice is #re7alent in
t.e Ni,a co,,unity not t.at t.e #eo#le are lawless #er se but it is an action to #ut Dt.e fear of GodE or to deter
#otential cri,inals in t.e co,,unity. 8ore i,#ortantly, ,ob action is #er#etrated to ensure ?ustice is gi7en to
indi7iduals for t.eir actions. 1.e study re7ealed t.at w.ilst res#ondents 7iew t.e action as barbaric and affront to
.u,an rig.ts and t.e law, t.ey are co,#elled to do so because t.e alternati7e is #robabilistic. 1.e study found
out t.at, t.e absence or insufficient law enforce,ent agents, and t.e #ercei7ed unsatisfactory #erfor,ance of t.e
security agents as well as legal syste, greatly influence ,ob 7iolence. 1.e study concludes t.at #eo#le #ercei7e
t.e #olice syste, and law courts to be too slow in reacting to issues of stealing, cri,e, robbery and ,urder
w.ic. to t.e #eo#le de,and Buic2 inter7entionsF t.is suggests t.at t.e ability of t.e law enforce,ent officials
and agencies to wor2 conscientiously to t.e satisfaction of t.e #o#ulace does .a7e a greater i,#lication on .ow
#eo#le obey t.e law and trust t.e legal regi,e. Put differently, if t.e #olice and law courts wor2 effecti7ely,
#rofessionally, and i,#artially, it will ins#ire confidence and trust a,ong co,,unity ,e,bers to re#ort cri,e
sus#ects on daily basis wit.out recourse to ,ob ?ustice. 1.e study ,a2es four ,ain reco,,endations to .el#
curb t.e #.eno,enon of ,ob ?ustice.
Keyords: 8ob ?ustice, @i7il disobedience, Instant ?ustice, Institutions, 4e7elo#ing countries, G.ana

!" Introduction
9eing t.e first country in t.e sub-Sa.aran /frica to attain inde#endence in *&%; wit. a ,otto GCreedo, and
JusticeH, G.ana still suffers fro, wea2 a #ublic ad,inistrati7e syste, w.ic. .as a s#iral effect on ,oral
degeneration and ci7il disobedience. In s#ite of suc. a catc.y ,otto, e:#erience suggests t.at w.ilst Dfreedo,E in
G.ana a##ears c.ea#, t.e D?usticeE ele,ent a##ears Buite e:#ensi7e. Iit. t.e #roliferation of t.e ,edia as t.e
fourt. ar, of go7ern,ent "in t.e real,s$ and re#eal of t.e cri,inal libel law, #eo#le easily ta2e t.eir #.ones to
e:ercise t.eir freedo, of s#eec. a,ong ot.ers wit.out ,uc. restriction "/sa,oa. et al., 2!*$. 6owe7er,
see2ing as well as obtaining ?ustice in t.e law courts a##ears cu,berso,e and e:#ensi7e at least to t.e ordinary
and a7erage G.anaian. Per.a#s, ,a?ority of t.e #eo#le as a result of t.e .ig. illiteracy rates do not understand
t.e legal syste, w.ic. ,ay see, to be ,uc. e:#ensi7e to t.e, in ter,s of ti,e and ,onetary co,,it,ent.
1.e structures and #rocesses t.at under#in any organization or entity #ro7ide t.e fra,ewor2 wit.in
w.ic. acti7ities are carried out. Suc. rules and #rocesses or syste,s and t.e be.a7ior of actors do .a7e greater
influence on .ow t.e organization wor2s. 'ne could obser7e funda,ental and structural 7ariations in t.e rules,
#rocesses and be.a7ior of officials in t.e #ublic ad,inistration syste,s of de7elo#ing countries and de7elo#ed
econo,ies. Sc.olars note t.at w.ilst t.e ad7anced countries tend to #ay #articular attention to institutions, t.eir
counter#arts in t.e de7elo#ing world often tend to #ay li# ser7ice to t.e rules and #rocesses. Public
ad,inistrati7e syste, of G.ana co,#rising t.e 8inistries, 4e#art,ents, /gencies and t.e ot.er #ara-statal
organizations t.at are in7ol7ed in enforce,ent of #ublic law and order suffer fro, .uge i,#le,entation la:ities
c.aracterized wit. a##arent #artiality and corru#tion. In t.e t.ird wee2 of 8arc., 2!*4F a court in /s.anti
Aegion ?ailed four ar,ed robbers for )! years, .owe7er, to t.e utter dis,ay of 2ey witnesses, t.e leader of t.e
grou# was freed by t.e court. In t.eir reaction, t.ese co,#lainants la,ented t.at freeing t.e leader of t.e gang is
an affront to ?ustice because t.ey #ro7ided enoug. e7idence to t.e #rosecutors w.o failed to tender t.ese in t.e
court roo,. Si,ilarly, in t.e ,ont. of 8arc. 2!*4, t.ere was a s.ooting incident in /boabo in t.e Nort.ern
Aegion w.ic. led to t.e deat. of one #erson. 1.ere was a subseBuent attac2 on a radio station w.ic. led to t.e
destruction of se7eral ite,s. 1.e incident was re#orted to t.e #olice and se7eral cul#rits were arrested by t.e
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#olice. Iit. t.e cul#rits .a7ing so,e allegiance to t.e ruling #arty, t.e regional ,inister as2ed t.e #olice to free
t.e accused #eo#le in t.e interest of #eace in t.e area.
1.e literature suggests t.at de7elo#ing countries do e:#erience a lot of ,ob ?ustice often referred to as
D?ungle ?usticeE because of t.e ina##ro#riate enforce,ent of law and ?ustice. In t.e scenarios abo7e, t.e affected
or co,#lainants issued t.reats as Dif t.e #olice do not act #ro#erly, we will ta2e t.e law into our own .andsE.
1.is usually occurs in de7elo#ing de,ocracies w.ere t.e #ublic ad,inistrati7e syste,s are not well de7elo#ed,
a##ears un#rofessional and #atronizes t.e #olitical elites. Public ad,inistrators or officials by t.eir ,andate are
to enforce t.e laws i,#ersonally and i,#artially so t.at #eo#le will see t.e syste, as ?ust w.ic. will ins#ire t.eir
confidence in t.e #olitical syste,. S#ea2ing at t.e consultati7e foru, on InstantJ8ob Justice and National
Security at /ccra in 8ay 2!!;, t.e t.en Security 8inister, 8r Crancis Po2u noted t.at t.e s#ate of instantJ,ob
?ustice in t.e country is an indication of lac2 of confidence in t.e countryEs legal syste,. 6e la,ented t.at
K#ublic disa##oint,ent in t.e legal syste, as well as t.e #erce#tion of corru#tion and delays in trying sus#ects
are so,e of t.e causes of ,ob or instant ?usticeK.
/ #ossible cause of t.is is t.e lac2 of trust in t.e #olice ser7ice, legal syste,, #oliticians and t.e entire
#olitical syste,. I.en t.ere is ,istrust in t.e syste,, #eo#le are li2ely to ta2e t.e laws into t.eir own .andsF
w.en #ublic officials e:.ibit eit.er ,anifest or latent discre#ancies in law enforce,ent, it .as a ri##ling or
tric2le down effect on subordinates, entire ci7ic be.a7ior or general ,oral degeneration "8orris 5 3lesner, 2!*!F
4ella Porta, 2!!!F /yee, 2!!!F 6et.erington, *&&)$. 1.is .as been noted by 8orris and 3lesner "2!*!$ t.at Gone
#ers#ecti7e #osits t.at low le7els of trust nurture corru#tion of t.e entire syste,Ldistrust t.us fosters a tolerant
or acBuiescent attitude towards corru#tion and, by creating t.e e:#ectation of corru#t be.a7iors a,ong ot.ers,
feeds indi7idual #artici#ation in corru#tionLbasic e7aluati7e orientation toward t.e go7ern,ent founded on
.ow well t.e go7ern,ent is o#erating according to #eo#leEs nor,ati7e e:#ectations,H "#.*2M*$. Public trust in
#olice can en.ance #olice effecti7eness and t.e legiti,acy of #olice actions "Lyons, 2!!2F Suns.ine 5 1yler,
2!!$. It is lin2ed t.erefore to t.e ca#acity of state #olice to #ro7ide basic citizen security "Golds,it., 2!!$.
1.e #olice institution and t.e legal syste,s are not 7ery ,uc. trusted by t.e ordinary #eo#le so t.at t.e least
c.ance t.ey get, #eo#le #refer to .ar, or lync. t.e sus#ected #erson or #ersons wit.out due #rocess or state
agencies to ta2e c.arge. / deficit of trust in t.e #olice is all too co,,on in s.ar#ly di7ided, #ost-conflict and
#ost-aut.oritarian societies "Ieitzer, *&&%F del Crate, *&&)F 8is.ler 5 Aose, *&&)$. 6owe7er, ,ore generally,
w.ere7er t.ere are strong indicators of relati7e socio-econo,ic ineBuality, #ublic trust in #olice tends to be
#roble,atic "Aeisig et al., 2!!4$. 1.is #oint .as forcefully been broug.t .o,e by /le,i2a "*&&&$ w.o obser7ed
t.at in Nigeria, contacts Dbetween t.e #olice and t.e citizens are c.aracterized by an:iety . . . ,ore so for t.ose
w.o are #oor and #owerlessE " #. 2$.
1.e literature suggests t.at states or organizations do not need strong ,en but institutions t.at are well
functioning and enforced to ac.ie7e de7elo#,ent. 1.is state,ent was reiterated by President 'ba,a w.en .e
7isited G.ana in t.e late 2!!&. 1.e #ublic ad,inistration syste,s of de7elo#ing countries tend to .a7e la: rules,
#rocesses cou#led wit. corru#t #ublic officials. +7en in situations w.ere t.e rules or #rocesses e:ist, #eo#le use
unort.odo: ,eans to ,aneu7er t.eir way t.roug. w.ic. ,a2es ?ustice often in t.e boso, and #oc2ets of t.e
ric. and ,ig.tier. G.ana, as a de7elo#ing country is 7ery good in Dtal2ing and #ro,isingE but w.en it co,es to
Dt.e doingE, t.e zeal to act is not i,#ressi7e.
1.e institutionalist sc.ool of t.oug.t argues t.at t.ere s.ould be rules and regulations t.at are well
2nown by t.e #eo#le, well enforced by t.e #ublic ad,inistration syste,, #redictable, and internalized so t.at
t.ey beco,e t.e #ractice of t.e day. 4ouglas @. Nort. e,#.asizes t.at t.e ,a?or role of institutions is Gto reduce
uncertainty by establis.ing a stable "but not necessarily efficient$ structure to .u,an interactionH and #oints out
t.at bot. for,al and infor,al institutions are e7ol7ing and c.anging, t.ereby continually altering t.e c.oices
a7ailable to us "*&&!, ##. M$. Golds,it. "2!!%$ #ro7ides t.at establis.ing trustwort.y #olice in low-trust settings
reBuires funda,ental ways of building reflecti7e trust. 6e furt.er states t.at Dreasons to trustE needs to be
identified, reiterated and built u#on in t.e conte:t of #oliceJcitizen contacts and relations.i#s. +Bually, indicators
of institutional trustwort.iness, bot. for,al and infor,al, need to be consciously de7elo#ed, ,aintained and
#reser7ed.
1.is study, t.erefore, ado#ts t.e institutional t.eory to assess .ow wea2 #ublic ad,inistrati7e syste,s
#ro#el #eo#le to ta2e t.e laws into t.eir own .ands to engage in ,ob action or instant ?ustice. 8ob ?ustice or
instant ?ustice occurs w.en a ,ob, usually se7eral dozens or se7eral .undreds of #eo#le ta2e t.e law into t.eir
.ands to in?ure, ,ai, and 2ill a #erson or #ersons accused of wrongdoing. In ot.er words, t.e study e:a,ines
t.e e:tent to w.ic. t.e conduct of #ublic officials and institutions lead to ,ob ?ustice. 1.e study is organized
into fi7e ,ain sectionsF t.e first section #ro7ides an introduction and bac2ground to t.e #a#er. Section two
discusses t.e t.eoretical fra,ewor2 and literature re7iew w.ilst t.e t.ird section discusses t.e ,et.odology
ado#ted for t.e study. Section four #resents, analyses and discusses t.e researc. findings w.ilst t.e final section
#ro7ides conclusions, reco,,endations and i,#lications to #ublic ad,inistration and go7ernance.

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#" $heoretical frameor% and &iterature revie
1.e institutional t.eory #ro7ided a t.eoretical foundation for t.is #a#er.
1.e institutional #ers#ecti7e sees rules, #rocesses and syste,s as 7ery funda,ental in t.e #ublic
ad,inistration syste, of any state. Institutions refer to t.e Drules of t.e ga,eE t.at tell .ow t.ings are to be done.
Nort. "*&&*$ defines institutions as .u,anly de7ised rules of organization t.at constrain or enable .u,an
be.a7ior. In ot.er words, .e argues t.at institutions are rules, enforce,ent c.aracteristics of rules and nor,s of
be.a7ior t.at structure re#eated .u,an interactions. 4ouglas @. Nort. suggests t.at institutions are t.e rules and
regulations as well as ot.er con7entional #ractices t.at regulate society and .u,an interactionsF .e furt.er adds
t.at t.e effecti7e enforce,ent of t.ese rules and regulations i,#artially and neutrally s.ould be t.e .all,ar2 of
#olitical syste,s. / co,,only agreed u#on definition is #ro7ided by Nort. "*&&!$ w.o #osits t.at Ginstitutions
are t.e rules of t.e ga,e of a society, or, ,ore for,ally, are t.e .u,anly de7ised constraints t.at structure
.u,an interaction. In conseBuence t.ey structure incenti7es in .u,an e:c.ange, w.et.er #olitical, social, or
econo,ic.H "#. $. Institutions co,#rise for,al rules created by .u,an beings suc. as statutes, co,,on laws,
and regulationsF infor,al constraints suc. as con7entions, nor,s of be.a7iour and self i,#osed codes of conductF
and t.e enforce,ent c.aracteristics of bot.. 1.e definition suggests t.ree funda,ental ele,ents of institutions=
1.e first one is t.e for,al or written rules N #olitical syste,s, laws go7erning contracts, cri,e, #roduct
infor,ation, t.e i,#osition of ta:es, tariffs, regulation of ban2s, uni7ersities, etc. /s suc., t.ey can be created
by go7ern,ents as well as wit.in fir,s and ot.er organizations. 1.e second one is t.e infor,al or unwritten
rules N culture, nor,s of be.a7iour, custo,s, 7alues, religions, etc. 1.ey are generated fro, socially trans,itted
infor,ation and i,#osed by #eo#le u#on t.e,sel7es in order to structure t.eir relations.i#s wit. eac. ot.er. 1.e
last one is t.e enforce,ent ,ec.anis,s N institutions are ineffecti7e w.en t.ey are not enforced. +nforce,ent
,ec.anis, is an integral #art of t.e institutional fra,ewor2 of a society and can function fully, ,arginally, or
not function at all.
Peters "2!!!$ defines an institution as Da for,al or infor,al, structural, societal or #olitical
#.eno,enon t.at transcends t.e indi7idual le7el, t.at is based on ,ore or less co,,on 7alues, .as a certain
degree of stability and influences be.a7iorD. 1.is definition suggests t.at institutions connote t.e social
structures, stability, nor,s, rules, 7alues and ideas t.at under#in society w.ic. restrain and enable .u,an
acti7ities and actions. 1.is sc.ool of t.oug.t argues t.at institutions not only offer and constrain be.a7ioral
alternati7es, but t.at t.ey also, u# to a certain e:tent, ,odel indi7idual #references "Steunenberg et al., *&&MF
8arc. 5 'lsen, *&&%$. 1.is ,eans t.at institutions directly and indirectly deter,ine t.e ,oti7es guiding
indi7idual be.a7ior. Aelating it to t.e study, if institutions are #ro#erly enforced and ?ustice deli7ered, #eo#le
will .a7e trust in t.e #olice and courts so t.at t.ey will feel free to re#ort and .and o7er cri,inals or accused
indi7iduals wit.out ,eting instant ?ustice or ,ob attac2 on t.eir 7icti,s. In ot.er words, effecti7e enforce,ent
of institutions will restrain #eo#leEs action of not engaging in ,ob ?ustice.

#"! $he institutionali'ation process
Pro#onents of t.is t.eory suggest t.at institutions ,ust become institutionsF being an institution is a 7ariable not
a constant, w.ic. suggests t.at institutions s.ould be #erfecting and see2 #erfection in t.eir #rocesses and
o#erations. 1.ey s.ould see2 fully institutionalization w.ic. will be in a state of eBuilibriu, w.ere #ublic
confidence will be de7elo#ed. Cor e:a,#le, a new #ublic ad,inistration syste, created in a #ost-inde#endent
state is ,ore li2ely to .a7e so,e of t.e for,al structural attributes of si,ilar institutions elsew.ere, but would
not yet .a7e de7elo#ed t.e 7alue structure or t.e autono,y t.at would enable us to ty#ify it as fully
institutionalized #ublic ad,inistration syste,. 9ut t.e irony is t.at, G.anaEs Public /d,inistration syste, is
relati7ely older t.an ,ost of t.e #ublic ad,inistration syste,s in t.e sub-Sa.aran /frica and of age wit. so,e
of t.e /sian 1igers yet .er institutions .a7e not de7elo#ed to desirable le7els.
1.e t.eory of institutional effecti7eness reBuires t.ree basic indicatorsF for,al rules, infor,al rules of
be.a7iorF and enforce,ent ,ec.anis,s "Nort., 2!!, #.;$. 1.is reBuires institutional co,#le,entarity and
enforce,ent co,#le,entarity. Institutional co,#le,entarity is t.e e:tent to w.ic. t.e for,al rules are
su##orted by t.e infor,al 7alues and nor,s of t.e #eo#le in t.e G.anaian society. 1.is #oint .as forcefully been
broug.t .o,e by Selznic2 "*&%;$ t.at institutionalization in7ol7es Ginfusing a structure wit. 7alueH, so in t.e
case of e,erging #ublic ad,inistrations, it would be argued t.at t.e structures ,ust be ani,ated by t.e
a##ro#riate 7alues, not ?ust .a7e for,al structures t.an could be recognized as being li2e t.ose in long-standing
de,ocracies "(er.ei?en, *&&&$.
1.e second indicator of institutional effecti7eness is Institutional enforcement w.ic. refers to t.e
e:tent to w.ic. t.ere is enoug. resource ".u,an and ,onetary$ to enforce t.e for,al rules. /gain, is t.ere a
#owerful agency or #ublic ad,inistration to enforce t.e for,al rulesO Is t.ere adeBuate legal bac2ing to force
co,#liance wit. t.e rulesO Is t.ere a #olitical will in granting inde#endence to officials to #rofessionally enforce
t.e institutionsO I.en t.is congenial en7iron,ent
Sa,uel 6untington .as #ro7ided four ,ain di,ensions t.roug. w.ic. indi7iduals and sc.olars could assess t.e
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le7el of institutionalization of any #ublic ad,inistrati7e structureF autono,y, ada#tability, co,#le:ity, and
co.erence.
1a2en rat.er briefly and si,#ly t.ese four conce#ts can be understood in t.e following ways=
*. Autonomy re#resents a concern wit. t.e ca#acity of institutions to ,a2e and i,#le,ent t.eir own decisions.
/rguably, to t.e e:tent t.at t.ey are not de#endent u#on anot.er organization or institution t.ey can be said to be
institutionalized. 1.is conce#t ,ig.t be o#erationalized in ter,s of budgets and autono,ous sources of re7enueF

2. Adaptability ta#s t.e e:tent to w.ic. an institution is ca#able of ada#ting to c.anges in t.e en7iron,ent, or
,ore i,#ortantly ca#able of ,olding t.at en7iron,ent. /s wit. o#en syste,s a##roac.es to social life t.e
institution s.ould be able to continue to i,#ort needed resources des#ite c.anges in t.e rele7ant en7iron,entF

. Complexity de,onstrates t.e ca#acity of t.e institution to construct internal structures to fulfill its goals and to
co#e wit. t.e en7iron,ent. /gain, t.is conce#tion is analogous to t.in2ing in syste,s t.eory and structural-
functionalis, t.at discussed t.e i,#ortance of structural differentiation "/l,ond 5 Powell, *&M;$F

4. Coherence re#resents t.e ca#acity of t.e institution to ,anage its own wor2load and to de7elo# #rocedures to
#rocess tas2s in a ti,ely a reasonable ,anner. 1.is also re#resents a ca#acity of t.e institution to

#"# Mob Justice or Instant Justice: A search for conceptual definition
1.e #.eno,enon of ,ob 7iolenceJ?ustice or instant ?ustice .as been re#orted fro, ,any /frican nations by
di7erse sources including t.e <nited Nations, <nited States State 4e#art,ent, non-go7ern,ental organisations
suc. as 6u,an Aig.ts Iatc., and ,edia outlets including 9ritis. 9roadcasting @o,#any, and nu,erous
/frican news#a#ers "NgEwalali 5 3itinya, 2!!M$. 1.ese re#orts e:#ose t.e effects of .u,an rig.ts abuse,
s#ecifically resulting fro, ,ob 7iolence. Notwit.standing, areas and co,,unities wit.in t.e /frican sub region
.a7e not syste,atically in7estigated 7iolence occurring fro, wit.in t.e co,,unity "3obusingye et al., 2!*!$.
1.e #.eno,enon of ,ob 7iolence is so,eti,es referred to as co,,unity 7igilantis, "/din2ra., 2!!%F 6arris,
2!!*$.
In t.e 7iew of NgEwalali and 3itinya, ,ob 7iolence is t.e #ractice w.ereby a ,ob, usually se7eral
dozens or se7eral .undred #ersons ta2e t.e law into t.eir .ands in order to in?ure and 2ill a #erson accused of
wrongdoing "NgEwalali 5 3itinya, 2!!M$. 1.is suggests t.at ,ob 7iolence ,ay range fro, few to .undreds of
#eo#le w.o t.roug. t.eir actions are .ungry for ?ustice. 1.e foregoing #oint .as been reiterated by 'utwater et
al. "2!!)$ t.at ,ob 7iolence is t.e result of a ,ediu, to large grou# of #eo#le, using ,ulti#le wea#ons, acting
on a continuu, fro, s#ontaneous to #lanned action, in concert to 2ill an indi7idual or a s,all grou#. 1.is
suggests t.at ,ob action ,ay eit.er be #lanned or un#lanned, and in7ol7es t.e use of wea#ons suc. as stones,
bloc2s, stic2s, iron rods and ot.er ,etal substances.
1.e conce#t of ,ob ?ustice .as adeBuately been e:#lained by Jo.nston "*&&M$ to ,ean t.e use of force
in reaction to cri,e and social de7iance for #ersonal and collecti7e security. 1.e 7ariable of security .as been
reiterated by /din2ra., "2!!%$ w.o noted t.at ,ost 7iolent acts in G.ana are #er#etrated by ,ale co,,unity
,e,bers #rotecting t.eir neig.bor.ood against social de7iants. 1.is is to say t.at #redo,inantly, ,ales are ,ore
acti7e in ,ob 7iolence t.an fe,ales w.o occasionally would ?oin t.e act. 8ob 7iolence clearly can be stated as
de7iant be.a7ior of a grou# w.o want to 7ent t.eir anger on social flaws in t.e syste, "/wuni, 2!!;$. 1.e
indication is t.at w.ere t.e state is unable to #ro7ide adeBuate security and .u,an rig.t ?ustice, t.e co,,unity
beco,es ,ore 7iable a7enue for self- ?ustice. It co,es in t.e for, of co,,unity 7iolence to ser7e as a deterrent
and a ,ec.anis, of social control for #ros#ecti7e de7iants. /ccording to Senec.al de la Aoc.e "*&&M$, ,ob
7iolence can ta2e t.e for, of lync.ing, 7igilantis,, rioting and terroris,. 1.is is to say t.at, non-state unilateral
collecti7e 7iolence ,ay co,e in di7erse for,s. In t.e 7iews of Aosenbau, and Sederberg "*&;4$, ,ob 7iolence
is an atte,#t to defend a gi7en social order by resorting to ,eans t.at contra7ene nor,ati7e rules ,eant to
safeguard t.at order. 1.e idea is t.at, #er#etrators are see2ing to Buestion t.e state and its legal institutions.
Cro, t.e abo7e discussion, we define instant ?ustice or ,ob ?ustice as an action perpetrated by a
group ranging from spontaneous to semi-organized crowd of people who are mostly violent-oriented and
forcefully act to abuse the rights of an accused person or persons ostensibly to ensure social order and to deter
potential threats. /lternati7ely, ,ob ?ustice could be conce#tualized as Gan act of inflicting pain or agony on
person(s who is (are believed to have violated societal norms or practices by either organized or unorganized
group(s in the !uest to maintain or instill "ustice and security in the society. In ot.er words, ,ob ?ustice is to
secure co,,unity ?ustice and #eace by sending a signal to #ros#ecti7e cri,inals to desist fro, trans,itting t.eir
intentions into actions. In situations w.ere ,ob ?ustice suddenly beco,es ra,#ant in a co,,unity, it is an
indication fro, society t.at confidence in t.e state security and ?ustice syste, a##ears Buestionable. In ,ost
cases, .ig. incidence of ,ob alert is a resistance against surre#titious #olice and legal syste,sF t.is suggests t.at
t.e #erce#tion #eo#le de7elo# about t.e #olitical regi,e is 7ery critical to t.eir indi7idual and grou# be.a7ior.
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Cro, t.e literature re7iew and definition, t.e conce#t of ,ob ?ustice connotes t.e following c.aracteristics.
*. 1.e action is carried out by a s,all grou# of #eo#le to a .undreds of #eo#le. In ,ost cases, t.e action
begins wit. few actors but t.e ,e,bers.i# builds u# as t.e #rocess ad7ances.
2. 1.e action is usually goal-oriented and its intention is to deter #otential cri,inals and again to
co,,unicate to #eo#le t.at an area is a Dno go zoneE for cri,inals
. 1.e action could be #lanned or un#lannedF ,ob action could arise s#ontaneously by a grou# of
bystanders or #assers by w.o obser7e an act and start t.e #rocess of 7iolence or could be a loosely
organized grou# of indi7iduals w.o would not s#are any cri,inal or accused #erson. +g @o,,unity
7igilante grou#s. 1.e organized ones are ,ostly co,,unity-sanctioned but t.e 7iolent as#ect is an
outlier.
4. 1.e ,odus o#erandi is t.roug. t.e use of na2ed #ower or #.ysical force. In ot.er words, ,ob ?ustice is
7iolent-oriented and ,asculine in nature. 1.is is to suggest t.at it is ,ostly #er#etrated by ,ales but
fe,ales wit. ,asculine tendencies do ?oin t.e #rocess.
%. /dditionally, #er#etrators of ,ob ?ustice e,#loy t.e use of ,ulti#le wea#ons ranging fro, .and sla#s,
stic2s, bloc2s, stones, iron rods, cutlasses and ot.ers.
M. 6ar, is caused to t.e sus#ect eit.er #.ysically or #syc.ologically. (icti,s of ,ob ?ustice are sub?ected
to social ostracis, and #.ysical .ar,.
;. Cinally, #re7alence of ,ob ?ustice see2s to co,,unicate #eo#leEs dissatisfaction wit. t.e security and
?ustice syste, #ro7ided by state and its institutions. 1.is suggests t.at t.e state needs to ste# in its
security and ?ustice deli7ery syste,s to ins#ire #ublic confidence.

#"( )hy do civilians prefer Mob violence to rule of la*
8en can li7e #erfectly decent li7es by obser7ing nor,s of be.a7iors t.ey learn fro, ot.ers and t.at are
#ro,oted by ot.ersF by t.eir fa,ilies or co,,unities, or by t.eir #rofessions or t.e religions or #.iloso#.ies
t.ey ad.ere to. 9ut t.ere is always a Buestion of .ow ,en will be.a7e in a situation beyond t.e direct influence
of t.ose situations. So,e indi7iduals re7ert to be.a7ior t.at is unwort.y of t.eir usual standards w.en t.ey
belie7e t.ey can get away wit. it. 't.ers, .owe7er, .a7e dee#er sources t.at enable t.e, to re,ain consistent
wit. t.eir #ublicly scrutinized be.a7ior. 1.ey .a7e internalized 7aluesF t.eir self-disci#lined be.a7ior does not
de#end on anyone re,inding t.e, w.at t.e rules are "Newberger, 2!!;, #.4&$.
/dults are su##osed to be t.e true reflection of t.e society, and t.erefore c.ildren be.a7e according to
w.at society teac.es t.e,. It is, t.erefore, wit. little sur#rise t.at c.ildren grow u# wit. t.e sla##ing, caning,
s,ac2ing, and s#an2ing t.ey recei7e fro, adults u#on t.e accusation of being Gbad boys or girlsH. 1.is #oint .as
been noted by 8iller "2!!;$ w.o ,aintains t.at ,any teac.ers cannot i,agine a sc.ool syste, entirely free of
suc. #unis.,ent. 1.is is because t.e teac.ers t.e,sel7es grew u# in 7iolent en7iron,ent, so t.ey learned 7ery
early to belie7e in t.e effecti7eness of #uniti7e ,easures. 8iller concludes t.at neit.er in t.eir c.ild.ood nor
during t.eir training were t.ey gi7en t.e c.ance to de7elo# sensiti7ity to t.e suffering of c.ildren. 1.us, t.ey
.a7e little awareness t.at in t.e long run, using #.ysical 7iolence against c.ildren, ,erely teac.es t.e, be.a7e
aggressi7ely in later li7es. 1o ?u:ta#ose 8illerEs assertion wit. w.at is #re7ailing in ,ost G.anaian co,,unities
as far as ,ob 7iolence is concerned, /ttafua., "2!!)$, wrote t.at t.e abusi7e conduct by #arents, teac.ers and
ot.er aut.oritati7e agencies and officials "Police, 8ilitary and ot.er stateEs institutions$ deny so,e c.ildren, and
so,e adults t.eir funda,ental natural ?ustice rig.ts, and t.at ,ob G?usticeH is t.e co,,on for, of instant ?ustice
2nown to t.e G.anaian society.
Peo#le also resort to ,ob 7iolence w.en certain #eo#le in society are s.ielded against t.e long ar,s of
t.e law. 1.is ,a2es #eo#le to lose confidence in t.e #olice and t.e ?udicial syste,s. In G.ana, #rotection of t.e
#olitical class is a ty#ical e:a,#le. In ,ost cases, t.e Ins#ector General of #olice #osition "IGP$ is #olitically
inclined or .as a soft s#ot for t.e ruling #olitical elites in G.ana. @onBuest, #olitical do,ination, t.e creation of
a #olice force under t.e direct control of t.e #olitical class and for t.eir #rotection and t.e #rotection of t.e
affluent class reBuires one to co,#le,ent t.e web of #olitical and social do,ination. 1.is .as ,ade it e:tre,ely
difficult to #rofessionally and inde#endently enforce t.e rule of law against certain #olitical figures due to
#olitical #atronage, clientelis, and rent-see2ing tendencies between to# #olice officials and #olitical elites. It
will be un.eard of t.at any to# #olitician in #ower could be ?ailed accordingly for a .ideous cri,e. Peo#le
#ercei7e t.at ot.er #eo#le in society w.o .a7e closer relations.i# wit. t.e #olitical class or able to #ay bribes to
law enforcers tend to get out of t.e long ar,s of t.e law. /dditionally, t.e la:ities and sub?ecti7ity in law
a##lication cou#led wit. t.e #ercei7ed corru#tion of #ublic officials ,a2e #ublic trust in t.e #olitical syste, and
order s.i7er. 6odgson "2!!M$ e:#lains t.at #eo#le obey t.e laws not only as a result of t.e incenti7es and
disincenti7es in7ol7ed but also .ow #eo#le inter#ret and 7alue suc. laws. 1.is a##reciation and 7aluation of
rules is una7oidably a #rocess of social interaction. In t.e 7iew of 6odgson, #eo#le will succu,b to rule of law
if t.ey 2now or belie7e ot.ers "#ublic officials in7ol7ing t.e #olice and t.e legal syste,$ will eBually a##ly t.e
laws ob?ecti7ely. 1.is #oint .as forcefully been argued by Iittgenstein "*&%)$ t.at, Ga #erson goes by a sign-
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#ost only in so far as t.ere e:ists a regular use of sign-#osts, a custo,.H"#. )!$.
Indeed, #unis.,ent as a ter, used in o#erant conditioning in #syc.ology refers to any c.ange t.at
occurs after a cri,e t.at reduces t.e li2eli.ood t.at cri,e will occur again in t.e future "Gers.off, 2!*!$.
/ccording to 8eller "*&)&$, #unis.,ent is a ,ore or less rational #rocess. It is ad,inistered #ur#osefully and
wit. certain goals or ob?ecti7es in ,ind. 8eller describes t.ese goals as t.e #re7ention of cri,e and #unis.,ent
wit.out e:#ectation of cri,e #re7entionF fro, utilitarian and retributi7e #ers#ecti7e res#ecti7ely.
1.erefore, #eo#le or co,,unities belie7e t.at by inflicting #.ysical and in?urious #unis.,ents to cul#rits, it will
co,,unicate a ,essage to #ros#ecti7e cri,inals to rescind on t.eir intentions or actions.

(" Methodology
1.e study ado#ted t.e Bualitati7e case study design in e:a,ining t.e ne:us between wea2 #ublic ad,inistration
syste, and ,ob ?ustice in G.ana using t.e e:#erience of Ni,a co,,unity in t.e Greater /ccra Aegion. 1.e
study too2 t.e case of t.e Ni,a @o,,unity of Greater /ccra Aegion, G.ana. 1.is setting is one of t.e
co,,unities in G.ana w.ic. will not s#are any law brea2er or a sus#ectF t.e #eo#le are generally self-#rotecti7e
to t.e e:tent t.at if a sus#ected t.ief or robber is arrested t.ey tend to gi7e .i, or .er an instant ?ustice, t.e
#eo#leEs way. 1.e c.oice of t.is co,,unity was based on t.e location and t.e fact t.at t.e res#ondents are ,ore
#rone to ,ob ?ustice and stand t.e c.ance of e:#eriencing ,ob 7iolence in t.eir life.
/ case is e:a,ined to understand an issue or #ro7ide in#ut to an e:isting t.eory "-in, *&&4$. 1.e
design was dee,ed ,ore a##ro#riate for t.e study because it allows a researc.er to .a7e an in-de#t.
understanding of t.e #.eno,enon under discussion. Pualitati7e researc. in7ol7es t.e use of soft data in t.e for,
of gestures, i,#ressions, sy,bols of t.e res#ondents and also to e,#loyee 7arious researc. instru,entation
"Neu,an, 2!!;$.
1.e res#ondents for t.is researc. were drawn fro, a,ong t.e #olice officers wit.in t.e Ni,a Police
@o,,and and o#inion leaders and indi7idual co,,unity ,e,bers o7er eig.teen years.
Aes#ondents were rando,ly selected fro, t.e co,,unity and 7arious #olice stations t.at fall under
t.e Ni,a #olice co,,and. Puestionnaires were rando,ly distributed to #olice officers and ci7ilians w.o were
a7ailable and willing to #artici#ate in t.e study. 1.e rando, sa,#ling #rocedure was e,#loyed to ensure
ob?ecti7ity and to a7oid biases since eac. wor2er .ad an eBual c.ance of being selected. / sa,#le size of *4!
wor2ers was arri7ed at. / sa,#le size of one .undred and forty "4!$ was esti,ated by t.e researc.er. 1.ese were,
forty Police officers and .undred *!! ci7ilians. *!* were collected at t.e end of t.e #eriod. 1.is re#resented a
res#onse rate of ;2Q of t.e total Buestionnaires ad,inistered.
1.e use of si,#le tally and 8icrosoft e:cel was used to in#ut t.e data in order to generate t.e
freBuency distribution.

+" Data presentation and discussion of findings
4. 1 Nature, scope and drivers of mob justice
In t.is section, res#ondents indicated t.e nature and reasons for ,ob 7iolence in t.e Ni,a co,,unity. In ot.er
words, t.e table #resents 7arious reasons t.at ,a2e #eo#le engage in ,ob action and w.y t.ey resort to instant
?ustice. In ot.er words, res#ondents were as2ed to ,ention w.at ,oti7ates t.e, or co,,unity ,e,bers to ta2e
#art in ,ob actions t.at see2 to ,et instant ?ustice on sus#ected cri,inals. 1.e table also #resents t.e co,,only
used wea#ons usually a##lied to inflict .ar, on sus#ects.
1able 4.*.* su,,arizes t.e reasons and nature of ,ob 7iolence. 'ut of t.e *!* res#ondents, ,a?ority
of t.e, "4 indicating 4Q$ said t.at stealing was t.e alleged offence a ,ob sus#ect engaged in. 1wenty one "2*$
of t.e res#ondents ,a2ing 2*Q said t.e sus#ect engaged in ,urder. +ig.teen "*)$ of t.e res#ondents for,ing *)Q
said, t.e sus#ect engaged in ar,ed robbery, followed by *2 #eo#le re#resenting *2Q w.o also said t.e sus#ect
engaged in o#en fig.ting. 1.e findings indicate t.at sus#ects in7ol7ed in alleged stealing, ,urder and ar,ed
robbery stand a .ig. ris2 or c.ance of facing instant ?ustice in t.e Ni,a @o,,unity. In t.is sa,e section,
res#ondents indicated t.e wea#ons t.at are co,,only used to inflict .ar, on sus#ects. /t t.e end of t.e sur7ey,
4 of t.e res#ondents re#resenting Q said t.at t.e co,,only used wea#ons for ,ob ?ustice are stones and
ce,ent bloc2s. / total of 2* res#ondents being 2*Q answered t.at, ,entioned t.e use of stic2s w.ilst *) of t.e
candidates re#resenting *)Q were also aware of t.e use of cutlasses. *2 and *M of t.e res#ondents re#resenting
*2Q and *MQ were aware of t.e use of bare .ands and iron rods res#ecti7ely. 1.is indicates t.at stones and
ce,ent bloc2s as well as stic2s are t.e ,ost co,,only wea#ons used in inflicting #ains and .ar, on sus#ects.
/ccording to t.e findings, 4% of t.e res#ondents re#resenting 44Q re7ealed t.at, #eo#le w.o engage in ,ob
7iolence are by standers. /lso 2% res#ondents, re#resenting 2%Q said t.ese #eo#le w.o engage in ,ob 7iolence
are /rea boys, as against *& and *2 #eo#le re#resenting *&Q and *2Q said t.ese #eo#le are 7igilant grou# and
#assers-by res#ecti7ely. Iit. res#ect to factors t.at ,oti7ate #eo#le to ta2e #art in instance ?ustice, ) of t.e
res#ondents re#resenting )Q answered t.at, t.ey will ta2e #art in ,ob 7iolence w.en e7erybody is ta2ing #art.
* of t.e res#ondents re#resenting !Q said t.ey will ta2e #art in ,ob action w.en t.ey want to ta2e re7enge.
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! #eo#le re#resenting !Q of t.e target #o#ulation said t.ey will resort to ,ob 7iolence w.en t.eir friends are
ta2ing #art. 'nly 2 #eo#le re#resenting 2Q of t.e res#ondents said t.at w.en t.ey li2e ta2ing #art in ,ob
7iolence, t.ey will do.

$able +"!"! ,ature and -easons for Mob Justice

P/A/8+1+A (/AI/9L+ CA+P<+N@- P+A@+N1/G+
/LL+G+4 'CC+N@+

/r, robbery *) *)Q
Stealing 4 Q
Aa#e *M *MQ
Cig.ting *2 *2Q
8urder 2* 2*Q
$.$A& !/! !//0
Iea#ons used to inflict .ar, StonesJce,ent bloc2s 4 Q
Stic2s 2* 2*Q
9are .ands *2 *2
@utlass *) *)Q
Iron rods *M *MQ
$.$A& !/! !//0

Particular grou# of #eo#le w.o engage in
,ob 7iolence"


Passers-by *2 *2Q
9y standers 4% 44Q
/rea boys 2% 2%Q
(igilant grou#s *& *&Q
$otal !/! !//0

Cactors t.at ,oti7ate #eo#le to ta2e #art in
instant ?ustice

I.en friends ta2e
#art
! !Q
I.en I feel I s.ould
ta2e #art
2 2Q
I.en e7erybody is
ta2ing #art
) )Q
I.en I want to
re7enge
* !Q
$otal !/! !//0

1ource: 2ield data3 #/!+

4.4 Public Understanding and Dimensions of Mob Violence
1.e second ob?ecti7e was to assess #eo#leEs #erce#tion and e:#erience wit. ,ob ?ustice. Aes#ondents were
assessed on t.e #re7alence rate of ,ob ?ustice, w.et.er ,ob ?ustice t.ey .a7e witnessed or .eard of were
?ustified and t.eir #ersonal con7ictions of ,ob ?ustice. Cindings .a7e been su,,arized in t.e table below.
$able +"!"# Public 4nderstanding and Dimensions of Mob 5iolence
IS INS1/N1 J<S1I@+ 'N 16+ IN@A+/S+ IN NI8/O -es M* M!Q
No 4! 4!Q
$.$A& !/! !//0
I+A+ (I@1I8S 'C INS1/N@+ J<S1I@+ G<IL1- 'C 16+
/LL+G/1I'NS /G/INS1 16+8O
-es *& *&Q
No )2 )*Q
$.$A& !/! !//0
4' -'< 16IN3 INS1/N@+ J<S1I@+ IS IA'NGO -es * !Q
No ;! ;!Q
1'1/L !/! !//0
1ource: field data3 #/!(

In table 4.*.2 ,i:ed res#onses were recei7ed wit. regards to t.e Buestions on #ublic understanding and
di,ension of ,ob 7iolence. S#ecifically on w.et.er ,ob ?ustice is on t.e increase in Ni,a or not, M* #eo#le
re#resenting M!Q said instant ?ustice is on t.e increase in Ni,a. @ontrary .owe7er, 4! #eo#le re#resenting 4!Q
refused t.e idea t.at ,ob ?ustice is on t.e increase.
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4.5 Discussion of indings
+"6"! ,ature3 scope and drivers of mob 7ustice
1.e reasons and nature of ,ob 7iolence is 7ery i,#ortant in studying issues of .u,an rig.ts abuse. Aes#ondents
indicated t.at t.ey .a7e a reduced confidence in t.e #olice and ?udiciary. /lso ,a?ority of t.e res#ondents t.in2
t.e ?udiciary .as a lot of delay syste,s and an un?ustified bureaucratic syste,. 1.is finding affir,s a #osition
.eld by Aosenbau, and Sederberg "*&;4$ t.at ,ob 7iolence is an atte,#t to defend a gi7en social order by
resorting to ,eans t.at contra7ene nor,ati7e rules ,eant to safeguard t.at order ostensibly to Buestion t.e state
and its legal institutions. 1.is obser7ation .as also been ,ade by /wuni "2!!;$ t.at ,ob 7iolence clearly can be
stated as de7iant be.a7ior of a grou# w.o want to 7ent t.eir anger on social flaws in t.e syste,. 1.e finding
indicates t.at institutions and t.eir effecti7e enforce,ent to a greater .a7e effect on .ow #eo#le in society
be.a7e w.ic. suggests t.at t.e way an ad,inistrati7e syste, o#erates .as a tric2le down effect on ci7il
obedience or disobedience.
/ccording to t.e study, ,a?ority of t.e res#ondents ")Q$ are ,oti7ated to ta2e #art in instant ?ustice
w.en e7erybody is ta2ing #art. In addition, res#ondents ,entioned factors t.at can lead to ,ob 7iolence asF
absence or insufficient law enforce,ent agents and #olice, t.e obscure locations of so,e #olice stations,
#ercei7ed unsatisfactory #erfor,ance of security agents, lac2 of confidence in t.e cri,inal ?ustice syste,. 1.e
study also underscored t.at lac2 of su##ort in t.e in7estigation and #rosecution of cri,inal cases, delay in t.e
#rosecution of accused #ersons, lac2 of #ublicity of court con7ictions of cri,inals, acBuittals of #o#ular
cri,inals, ignorance of t.e legal i,#lication of ,ob 7iolence, wea2 legislation on ,ob 7iolence also contribute
to incidence of ,ob ?ustice. 1.e idea is t.at #eo#le will .ardly ta2e #art in ,ob actions inde#endently. 1.ere is
always a dri7ing force t.at #us.es #eo#le to resort to ,ob 7iolence as co,,unity ,e,bers would want defend a
gi7en social order and to safeguard t.at order t.oug. t.e ,eans is unort.odo: "Aosenbau, 5 Sederberg, *&;4$.
1.ese findings buttress #re7ious studies underta2en by 6odgson, 2!!MF /wuni, 2!!;, Gers.off, 2!!&$. Cor
instance, Gers.off "2!!&$ #ro7ides t.at #unis.,ent as a ter, used in o#erant conditioning in #syc.ology refers
to any c.ange t.at occurs after a cri,e t.at reduces t.e li2eli.ood t.at cri,e will occur again in t.e future. 1.is
suggests t.at t.oug. ,ob ?ustice in ,ost cases is un#lanned and s#ontaneous, it is .owe7er #ur#oseful and see2s
to instil fear in #otential offenders or cri,inals w.o would be forced to declare an area or co,,unity a Gno goE
area. /ccording to 8eller "*&)&$, #unis.,ent is a ,ore or less rational #rocess. It is ad,inistered #ur#osefully
and wit. two ,ain goals or ob?ecti7es in ,ind. 8eller describes t.ese goals as t.e D#re7ention of cri,eE and
D#unis.,ent wit.out e:#ectation of cri,e #re7entionE fro, t.e utilitarian and retributi7e #ers#ecti7es
res#ecti7ely. 1.oug. we agree t.at #unis.,ent is a##ro#riate as a tool for cri,e #re7ention and retributi7e
#ur#ose, we argue t.at #unis.,ent s.ould not be inflicted t.roug. unort.odo: ,eans and by illegiti,ate bodies,
because two wrongs, t.ey say, do not ,a2e a rig.t.
Cro, t.e study, al,ost e7eryone .as e7er seen, .eard or ta2en #art in ,ob 7iolence before. 1.e
indication is t.at ,ob 7iolence a##ears to be a day-to-day issue of t.e social syste, and al,ost e7eryone w.o
ta2es #art feels satisfied t.at at least ?ustice .as been done. 1.e study re7ealed t.at ,ore of t.e 7icti,s w.o
e:#erience ,ob 7iolence were alleged of stealing, followed by ,urder, ar,ed robbery ra#e and fig.ting. So,e
also engage in ,ob action wit.out necessarily 2nowing t.e offence of t.e alleged. 1.e idea is t.at #eo#le engage
in t.is action in t.eir Buest for social ?ustice w.ic. ta2es a considerable long ti,e to be dis#ensed by t.e legal
syste,s in t.e country. 1.e study s.ows t.at ,ost #eo#le w.o engage in ,ob 7iolence are #eo#le standing by at
t.e ti,e t.e alar, was raised. Peo#le standing by, #assing by, area boys and 7igilant grou#s will ta2e #art w.en
t.e alar, is blown. 1.e study re7eals t.at, #er#etrators of instant ?ustice ,a2e use of wea#ons suc. as
stonesJce,ent bloc2s, stic2s, bare .ands, cutlass, iron rods, wire a,ong ot.ers to inflict .ar, on t.e sus#ects.
1.is ,eans t.at anyt.ing goes for ,ob 7iolence. 1.us, actors can use any wea#on a7ailable to #ursue t.eir tas2.
1.e finding reiterates an argu,ent ,ade by 'utwater et al. "2!!)$ t.at ,ob 7iolence is t.e result of a ,ediu, to
large grou# of #eo#le, using ,ulti#le wea#ons, acting on a continuu, fro, s#ontaneous to #lanned action, in
concert to 2ill an indi7idual or a s,all grou#.
1.e res#ondents of t.e study e:.ibited t.eir zealousness for ?ustice w.en as2ed .ow t.ey #refer
sus#ected cri,inals to be treated. Cro, t.e study, res#ondents #refer sus#ected cri,inals to be stoned to deat.,
burnt ali7e, beaten to deat., gi7en se7ere beating, c.ased away or .ooted at as against ta2ing t.e, to #olice
station or setting t.e, free. 1.e indications are t.at #eo#le are really .ungry for ?ustice in t.e 7arious
co,,unities and will resort to any ,eans eit.er legal or illegal to get ?ustice dis#ensed to t.eir satisfaction. 1.e
reason t.ey ga7e to su##ort t.is #osition is t.at at best t.e law courts and t.e #olice syste, will ,a2e t.e case
tarry and at worst would ,a2e t.e case Dfoolis. caseE. 1.is suggests t.at #o#ular confidence in t.e legiti,ate
#ublic ad,inistration syste,s and institutions a##ear to be ,ore reduced and efforts at restoring confidence in
t.e syste, would sal7age t.e situation. 6odgson "2!!M$ #osits t.at #eo#le obey t.e laws not only as a result of
t.e incenti7es and disincenti7es in7ol7ed but also .ow #eo#le inter#ret and 7alue suc. laws. 1.erefore, if law
enforcers and inter#reters do not 7alue t.e laws, #eo#le will .a7e little or no incenti7e to li2ewise obey t.e law.

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6" Conclusion
1.e results of t.e study indicate t.at delay in #rosecution of accused #ersons, lac2 of su##ort in t.e in7estigation
and #ersecution of cri,inals, acBuittals of #o#ular cri,inals, wea2 legislation on ,ob 7iolence, absence or
insufficient law enforce,ent agents and #olice a,ong ot.ers cause ci7ilians to resort to ,ob 7iolence. Cindings
of t.e study re7eal t.at ,ob ?ustice is #re7alent in t.e Ni,a co,,unity not t.at t.e #eo#le are bad #er se but it
is an action to #ut Dt.e fear of GodE or to deter #otential cri,inals in t.e co,,unity. 8ore i,#ortantly, ,ob
action is #er#etrated to ensure t.at ?ustice is gi7en to indi7iduals for t.eir actions t.oug. it ends u# attac2ing
innocent #eo#le.
Cro, t.e study findings and discussions, we t.erefore, conclude t.at #eo#le #ercei7e t.e #olice syste,
and law courts as ineffecti7e or at best too slow in reacting to issues of cri,e, robbery and ,urder w.ic. to t.e
#eo#le de,ands Buic2 inter7entions. In ot.er words, t.e ability of t.e law enforce,ent officials and agencies to
wor2 conscientiously to t.e satisfaction of t.e #o#ulace does .a7e a greater i,#lication on .ow t.ey obey t.e
law and trust t.e legal regi,e. Put differently, if t.e #olice and law courts wor2 effecti7ely, #rofessionally, and
i,#artially, it will ins#ire confidence and trust a,ong co,,unity ,e,bers to re#ort cri,e sus#ects on daily
basis wit.out recourse to ,ob ?ustice
Secondly, we also conclude t.at ,ost #eo#le in de7elo#ing /frican econo,ies do not adeBuately
understand t.e legal syste, and .ow t.e law enforce,ent bodies carry out t.eir o#erations. 1.e do not
understand t.e need to gi7e sus#ects a,#le ti,e to #ro7e t.e,sel7es innocent before t.e Law. 1.is #er.a#s, is
because of t.e .ig. illiteracy rate and t.e failure of t.e National @o,,ission for @i7ic +ducation "NN@+$ to
effecti7ely carry out its constitutional ,andate of sensitizing and educating #eo#le on ,atters related to t.ese
and ,any ot.ers including ci7ic duties and obligations. 1.e *&&2 Ae#ublican @onstitution of G.ana #osits t.at
no indi7idual is guilty until #ro7en to be so by a law court. Sus#ects also .a7e rig.ts to fair trial and fair .earing
w.ic. could delay t.e #rocess wit. .ow t.e court syste,s deli7er ?ustice "@.a#ter Ci7e, *&&2 @onstitution$.

5.1 !ecommendations
Cro, t.e conclusions drawn abo7e, t.e study ,a2es four ,ain reco,,endations t.at would .a7e i,#lications
for legislator, #olicy e:#erts, law enforce,ent agencies, citizens and .u,an rig.t grou#s.
Cirstly, t.ere is t.e need to s#eed u# t.e #rosecution of accused indi7iduals. 1.is en.ances trust in t.e
syste, of dis#ensing ?ustice. 1.e #olice need to be #ro7ided wit. adeBuate logistics and tec.niBues t.at are
essential for s#eedy gat.ering of e7idence. +n.ancing s#eedy #rosecution of sus#ects is a collaborati7e effort
between t.e #olice and law court w.ic. will arouse #eo#leEs trust in t.e ad,inistrati7e syste,.
Secondly, confidence in t.e cri,inal ?ustice syste, needs to be restored. 1.is would ta2e t.e efforts of
#layers in t.e ?udiciary ar, of go7ern,ent. 1.is ,eans t.at inter#reters of t.e law s.ould not be econo,ical
wit. t.e trut.. Prosecutors s.ould #resent cases wit.out concealing glaring e7idence w.ilst t.e DLordsE or Judges
are to inter#ret laws wit.out recourse to #ossible biases, fa7oritis, or #artiality.
8oreo7er, t.ere is t.e need for a strong legislation on ,ob 7iolence. /ctors on t.e corridors of ,ob
7iolence s.ould be treated wit.out ,ercy. 1.is would restrain ot.ers wit. sa,e intentions fro, indulging in ,ob
7iolence. Laws on ,ob ?ustice would .ardly succeed if .ardened cri,inals arrested to t.e #olice would be seen
t.e ne:t day wal2ing freely wit.out any e:#lanation to t.e #eo#le. Police s.ould identify indi7iduals w.o re#ort
issues to t.e, and engage t.e, w.ilst t.e case is on-going and in cases w.ere t.e #erson is freed wit. genuine
reasons, it is a##ro#riate to gi7e feedbac2 or rele7ant infor,ation to t.e constituents t.at re#orted t.e issue.
Cinally and ,ore i,#ortantly, t.ere is a need for #o#ular sensitization, national reorientation and
education on .ow t.e legal syste, wor2s. 1.e ,odern legal syste, is an ado#ted syste, into t.e G.anaian
culture and a##ears cu,berso,e, too bureaucratic, e:#ensi7e and alien to ,a?ority of t.e #eo#le. 1.e #eo#le are
,ostly illiterates w.o ,ay not understand issues of fair trial, fair .earing, gi7ing enoug. ti,e to #ro7e a case,
t.erefore, it is i,#erati7e to carry out a national reorientation or sensitization e:ercise to e:#lain t.e ?udicial
syste, and #olicing syste, to t.e general #o#ulace.

6"# Implications to Public Administration and governance
1.e findings and conclusions of t.e study .a7e 7arious i,#lications on #ublic ad,inistration and go7ernance of
de7elo#ing /frican econo,ies. Public ad,inistration, traditionally in7ol7es t.e a##lication or enforce,ent of
#ublic laws and order. 1.e effecti7eness wit. w.ic. t.is ,andate is carried out by #olitical syste, "8inistries,
4e#art,ents, /gencies and ot.er #ublic aut.orities$ ins#ire #ublic confidence and trust. /ut.ority and
legiti,acy is .eld in #ublic institutions and t.e e:tent to w.ic. t.ese institutions act legiti,ately deter,ines t.e
#ublic co,#liance and confidence. 4e7elo#,ent ad,inistration e,erged against a bac2dro# of t.e realization
t.at go7ern,ents and t.eir bureaucracies in less de7elo#ed countries needed to be recreated, renewed and
re7italized in order to bring about t.e de7elo#,ent t.at is reBuired in t.e transfor,ation of societies "Gant,
*&;&$. / do,inant #re,ise of de7elo#,ent ad,inistration is t.at t.ere are significant and funda,ental
differences between t.e ad,inistrati7e #rocess in less de7elo#ed countries and #ublic ad,inistration in
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de7elo#ed countries. 1.ere is a need to ,o7e fro, t.e o7ertly bureaucratic and cu,berso,e a##roac. wit.
w.ic. issues of #ublic ser7ices are #ro7ided to citizens. 1.e ,yt. surrounding t.e #olice and t.e ?udicial syste,
needs to be uneart.ed by #ro7iding adeBuate education and also cutting down t.e unnecessary delays in
e:ecution of ser7ices. Isla, and 6enault "*&;&$ #ro7ides t.at ad,inistrati7e de7elo#,ent refers to t.e ability of
ad,inistrati7e structures, institutions and organizations to co#e wit. t.e for,ulation and e:ecution of
de7elo#,ent #lans, #rogra,,es and #ro?ects. /lso, it includes t.e ca#acity of ad,inistrati7e #ersonnel to
#erfor, de7elo#,ent res#onsibilities efficiently.
1.e study calls for rein7ention in t.e #olicing and ?ustice syste, w.ic. will arouse #ublic confidence.
1.e #eo#le w.o broug.t a sus#ect to t.e #olice need to be #art of t.e trial #rocess at least t.ere s.ould be
infor,ation flow fro, t.e #olice to t.ese law abiding citizens w.o re#orted or arrested a sus#ect to t.e #olice.
I.ere t.e sus#ect is innocent, t.e #olice need to e:#lain to t.e #eo#le lest t.e #eo#le would #ercei7e t.at t.e
syste, is not fair or is co,#ro,ised.

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