Come Monday, April 1, 2019, a media awareness workshop on plea bargaining will hold in Lagos at The Sojourner by Genesis 16 Oba Akinjobi Street GRA Ikeja, by 9.30a.m.
The Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (RoLAC) programme is an EUDF-funded Programme (2017-2020) managed by British Council and has the overall aim of enhancing good governance in Nigeria by contributing to strengthening of the rule of law, curbing corruption, reducing impunity and increasing access to justice for women, children and persons with disabilities.
The programme is working in 4 states – Adamawa, Anambra, Kano, Lagos and the FCT. Component one of the programme focuses on the implementation of the Nigerian Criminal Justice Reform Agenda. The objective is to advance the timely, effective and transparent dispensation of criminal justice through support for the implementation of relevant provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice (ACJ) Act at the Federal level and Laws (in states).
RoLAC is organising a media awareness workshop on plea bargaining on Monday, April 1, 2019. The purpose is to build public support for the application and use of plea bargain in criminal cases in Lagos state through training of media practitioners. This will enable the media report more accurately on the issues from an informed background thereby providing sensitisation for the public and users of the criminal justice system.
The workshop became necessary following a trail of poor media reportage of criminal trials that were resolved through plea agreements, which misinformed the public and fuelled suspicion about the objectives and benefits of institutionalising a plea bargain system in our criminal justice system.
It will also give the required tools or skills for evaluating and reporting cases that were resolved through plea bargains. Such skills will significantly enhance ability to inform victims, defendants and the public generally about their rights during plea bargain negotiation and enhance public confidence in the criminal justice system in the state.
