Date
8-20-2026
Department
Helms School of Government
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in Criminal Justice (PhD)
Chair
David Ojo
Keywords
Restorative justice, law enforcement, phenomenology, criminal justice system, Anambra State, retribution theory
Disciplines
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Recommended Citation
Okeke, Hamilton E., "Exploring Challenges to Implementing Restorative Justice Processes Among Law Enforcement Officers in Anambra State, Nigeria" (2026). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 8776.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/8776
Abstract
This transcendental phenomenological study explored the essence of law enforcement officers’ lived experiences of implementing Restorative Justice processes and the challenges associated with their implementation within Anambra State’s criminal justice system. Restorative justice was introduced into Nigeria’s criminal justice system through the 2015 Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) and domesticated in Anambra State through the Administration of Criminal Justice Law (ACJL) in 2022, introducing non-custodial and restorative alternatives within a predominantly retributive system. Despite growing attention to implementation challenges, little is known about how law enforcement officers experience and make sense of Restorative Justice within the state’s criminal justice system, revealing a significant gap in the literature. Guided by Restorative Justice and retribution theories, data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using Moustakas’ modification of the Stevick-Colaizzi-Keen phenomenological method. Findings indicate that law enforcement officers experience Restorative Justice through practices such as mediation, restorative conferencing, community services, and plea bargaining, which they generally perceive as facilitating crime management. However, implementation is inconsistent due to inadequate training, limited resources, systemic corruption, unclear policy direction, and entrenched retributive orientations. These challenges are further shaped by victims’ expectations and prevailing religious and sociocultural norms, reflecting ongoing tensions between restorative and punitive approaches. The study highlights how Restorative Justice is experienced within a hybrid criminal justice system and provides insight into the contextual and institutional barriers shaping its practice in Anambra State.
