International Crime Witness in the Nigerian Criminal Justice System (Book Report Sample)

International Crime Report
Name
Institution
Date
Rights of an Accused
The Nigerian criminal justice system strictly adheres to constitutional provisions in relation to the rights of accused persons. Section 35 and 36 of the constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria, 1999 enshrines the rights of an accused person. Hence, the court is likely to view the rights of the accused in relation to the provisions of these sections of the constitution (Okocha, 2020, pp. 9). They include the right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty, the right not to be charged with an unwritten offense, the right to remain silent during a trial, the right to be informed promptly, in a language that the accused understands, the right to an interpreter if the accused does not understand the language the court uses, the right to knowledge of the nature of the offense, the right to have adequate time to prepare their defense, the right to defend oneself either in person or through a legal practitioner of one's choice, right to have a record of the proceedings kept and have copies of the same within seven days of the conclusion of a case and the right not to be tried and convicted twice for the same offense. Therefore, the court system is likely to view these constitutional provisions as the rights of the accused.
Further, the Nigerian court system is likely to treat the defendant depending on the rights they should enjoy. For instance, since the constitution allows an accused to remain silent during the trial, the court cannot compel the defendant to speak against his will. The defendant is also likely to be informed by the court of every trial detail in a simple language that they understand. A just trial is only possible if an accused understands the context of the trial; hence the court is likely to consider the defendant's understanding of the trial and provide an interpreter where they do not understand to ensure a just process ( Okocha, 2020, pp. 7). As the constitution requires, the court is also likely to presume the defendant innocent until proven guilty. The defendant will hence be immune from self-incriminating evidence during the trial, including the use of torture and other methods to coerce confessions from them. The court system is also likely to allow the defendant to enjoy legal representation or represent themselves during the trial, as provided by the constitution ( Ngari & Olojo, 2020, pp. 5). Lastly, the court system is likely to grant the defendant a speedy and public trial to avoid delay of justice.
Experiences in the Prison System
The Nigerian prison system is problematic, with many issues emanating from the overcrowding of the country's prisons. Therefore, the defendant is likely to face the challenges that other Nigerian prisoners face with overcrowding. For instance, most prisoners have poor nutrition due to