Sierra Leone’s justice sector is undergoing its most ambitious transformation in decades, with a combination of legal reforms, digital innovation, and strengthened institutional partnerships reshaping how justice is delivered.
On June 10, Attorney-General and Minister of Justice Alpha Sesay presented the Criminal Procedure Act (Commencement) Regulations, 2025 to Parliament, paving the way for the Criminal Procedure Act, 2024 to take effect on September 16. The new law replaces the colonial-era 1965 legislation with a rights-based framework aimed at speeding up trials, reducing prolonged pre-trial detention, and introducing alternative sentencing for minor offences to ease prison overcrowding.
Earlier, on March 24, the Attorney-General launched Sierra Leone’s first E-Justice Blueprint in partnership with the Canadian Academic and Industrial Network (CAAINE). Part of the Sierra Leone Digital Transformation Project, the initiative will streamline case management, enhance transparency, and ensure wider access to legal services. Stakeholders are currently working on the system’s design, with the initial framework expected within three months.
Other recent justice sector initiatives include a review of the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Act, 2022, capacity-building for anti-corruption prevention, mediation in local conflicts, expansion of court sittings to underserved districts, and the Legal Aid Board marking its 10th anniversary after serving nearly five million citizens.
The Sierra Leone Correctional Service is also advancing rehabilitation programs, including vocational training for inmates, while the Law Reform Commission is pushing forward with modernization of outdated statutes.
Judicial leadership reforms, infrastructure developments like the new Sierra Leone Law School complex, and stronger oversight mechanisms signal a justice system embracing modernization while reinforcing human rights and access to justice.
By Solomon Brima
