Justice for sale? The determinants of corruption in Sierra Leone's criminal justice system

Thesis

This thesis builds a theoretical framework that demonstrates how police officers use pre-trial detention and procedural delays as strategic instruments to screen suspects and complainants for wealth, thereby extracting higher bribe payments. The model is tested using original survey data on bribe payments made at police stations in Sierra Leone. This thesis finds empirical support for the theoretical model: Income and the reservation loss have a strong effect on bribe payments and the length of pre-trial detention. For complainants, bribe payments are mainly driven by the reservation loss, whereas income has a greater effect on bribe payments made by suspects. The main impact of corruption is a distortion in the dispensation of justice. This thesis finds evidence that distortions arising from a restricted access to bribe markets are a greater concern for suspects, while a restricted access to the criminal justice system presents a more severe problem for complainants.

Authors: Blattner, L

• Publication date: 2012-05-09
• DOI: 10.5287/ora-wvbrqdp0x
• Type of award: MPhil
• Level of award: Doctoral
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford
• Language: English
• Keywords: Sub-Saharan Africa; Corruption
• Subjects: Development economics