Some call it mob justice. Others describe it as instant justice or vigilante justice. But where, indeed, is the justice when a person is beaten, maimed, or killed without a proper trial or lawful conviction by the legally constituted justice system of the land?
Every year in Ghana, scores of individuals are seized by members of the public, beaten, maimed, and in some cases killed for alleged crimes. These acts of unlawful violence are often directed at persons suspected of theft, robbery, kidnapping, and similar offenses. In many of these cases, no investigation is conducted, no evidence is tested, and no opportunity is given for the accused to defend themselves.
Even more troubling are instances in which innocent persons are wrongfully accused, detained, beaten, and killed. This is particularly grave in cases of mob justice that end in death. Death is irreversible. When an innocent person is killed, there is no remedy, no appeal, and no possibility of restoring the life that has been unjustly taken.
Although the problem is acute in Ghana, vigilante justice, mob justice, and instant justice are not unique to this country. Similar acts occur in many parts of the world, often with devastating consequences for innocent people and for the moral fabric of society.
Problems with Vigilante Justice
The central problem with vigilante justice is that it bypasses the safeguards built into the criminal justice system. The wrong person may be accused, and without the rigor of professional investigation, the individual is beaten or killed on the basis of rumor, suspicion, or malice.
In some cases, accusations are deliberately fabricated, and vigilantism becomes a convenient tool for settling personal scores or eliminating rivals. In such situations, violence is not a response to crime but a ruse for punishment or murder.
There is also the problem of disproportionate punishment. The violence inflicted by a mob is often far greater than any harm allegedly caused by the suspect. There is no calibration of punishment, no due process, and no justice in such excess.
Causes of Vigilante Justice
Research suggests that vigilante justice thrives in environments where public trust in the criminal justice system is weak. When citizens believe that the system is ineffective, corrupt, or biased, they are more likely to resort to instant justice.
If people believe that the police will accept bribes from suspects or their families and compromise investigations or abandon prosecutions, they may feel justified in taking the law into their own hands.
Similarly, if citizens believe that judicial officers—magistrates or judges—accept bribes, impose unduly lenient sentences, or fail to convict offenders altogether, they may conclude that formal justice is futile and that only vigilante action can deter crime.
Solutions
To address the problem, citizens must be adequately informed about the law and the workings of the criminal justice system—criminal investigations, arrest, indictment, prosecution, trial, conviction, and sentencing.
The public must also be educated to understand that everyone has rights, including criminal suspects. These rights are not privileges granted to criminals; they are protections designed to prevent the punishment of the innocent and the abuse of power.
Citizens should further appreciate that crimes fall into different categories and carry different statutory penalties. Judges do not impose sentences arbitrarily; they are bound by law. Where the public believes that punishments for certain crimes are inadequate, the appropriate response is to petition the legislature for reform—not to resort to violence.
In the end, a society that abandons due process in the name of instant justice risks destroying justice itself.
