CRIMINAL JUSTICE QUAGMIRE: THE NEED FOR RESTORATIVE JUSTICE IN TANZANIA

Criminal Justice is paramount to guarantee a fair and just society. Over decades the public has been disgusted and befuddled at the exertion of some agencies in justice system. Sporadically, some police officers have been cited to be biased and tend to brutalize people in their custody. Besides, prosecutors have arraigned suspects in a selective manner, albeit it is undisputable that judges and magistrates have been occasionally accused for inordinate delay in dispensation of cases and for being biased where the victim is always a loser while some convicts pay fines to state coffers which only benefits the state. Further, there is a serious agony on congestion of prisons as the number of inmate is double the capacity of the building. It is undetermined whether public expectations in criminal justice system is rational or rather a matter of comparison. Consequently, it is unreasonable to expect a fair and efficacious justice system in which the lower social economic class rights is at stake. Accordingly, one could argue that Restorative Justice provide an alternative to criminal justice system since its procedures accommodates the needs of victims, offenders and the community by addressing harm, restoring relationship hence improve public confidence and satisfaction. This paper therefore, seeks to resolve the quagmire in criminal justice by mitigating its rigor with restorative justice.