An angry mob is threatening to kill a teenager in Logan Town. A crowd is growing, beating him with fists and rocks as he tries to escape. The young man is trying to run away but the crowd is growing in strength and violence. The boy looks up and sees the Citizen Bureau ahead, manages to break free from the mob, and runs inside the office with the crowd racing behind him.
This is not an unusual scene in Logan Town, or Monrovia at large; someone is accused of a crime and only has a matter of minutes to get to the Citizen's Bureau for safety and the opportunity to be heard.
John Kamma, director of the Citizen's Bureau for Development and Productivity, (CBDP) sees cases like this frequently.
"I've seen people beaten to death," he says, "I've seen people flogged in their communities for crimes they have not been convicted of."
That's why Kamma, who has a background in law enforcement, started the CBDP; to bring justice to communities who can't afford the formal justice system, so that boys like this one get a chance to defend themselves.
"In this case, the teenager had stolen some clothes off a clothesline and was caught," Kamma explains, "No one deserves to die for this, everyone should have a fair trial."
But because the law courts are not financially accessible for most people living in densely populated marginalized areas or slums communities, the CBDP provides mediation and resolution in local disputes. The grass roots initiative began in 2013, by locals for locals, and continues today to have a very low rate of recidivism.
"People respect the CBDP and know there they can have a fair hearing," Kamma says.
But not because the CBDP is soft. Both sides of each issue are carefully examined before judgement is given, and both litigants are held to account, regardless of financial status or class.
Thomas Tweh, CBDP team leader in West Point, considers this the most important part.
“This job surprises us when you see certain people and think they won’t listen to our local mediators because of their status or education, but not so; they quickly give listening ears and agree with the mediators to go through their differences when we reason together for an amicable end to the conflict," he says.
Tweh says the reason for low recidivism is the CBDP's dedication to follow-up.
"Most of the time when these cases are resolved there is no recidivism because we can easily engage the party by following up months later since we live with them in the same community."
"Taking ownership of the community is the pride of CBDP; what’s important in this job is trust and credibility, and because we are trusted and respected the people listen when we intervene," says Tweh.
Tweh and Kamma believe that having both sides of a conflict come to an agreement together through mediation is always preferable to sentencing without engagement.
"The goal of the criminal justice system is to correct offenders not just punish them," says Kamma, "that's why the CBDP wants to sentence offenders to visible hard work like agriculture, so the community can see, and so the offender can gain skills to avoid committed crimes of desperation in the future."
Reducing the number of inmates languishing behind bars is just one of Mr. Kamma's motivations for the CBDP, the rest is about human rights violations. Whether for lack of time or money, or the ubiquitous presence of corruption, the formal justice system is not available or trusted for many Liberians, and are instead often subjected to mob justice.
To avoid this fate, Mr Kamma is asking Liberia’s new government administration to recognize his work and recommend the Liberian National Police to refer certain cases to the nearest CBDP mediation centre in West Point and Logan Town instead.
"Otherwise people will die or be raped in jail for crimes they were not found guilty of," Kamma says.
Free of charge, the CBDP keeps a diverse range of cases out of the formal justice system, from property or domestic disputes to theft, rape, and witchcraft.
"In order to reach even more communities, we want to expand,” Mr Kamma says, “so if you see a conflict arise in a community that cannot afford the courts, recommend your local CBDP office to resolve it and we can help."
Like the teenaged boy who narrowly escaped with his life in Logan Town, and like the crowd that pursued him, seeking both refuge and justice with the CBDP is available for everyone.
Rachel Sovka
Strategy, Communications & Incubation Manager
Accountability Lab Liberia
+231 0881575628 | +231 0778383611
