Revealing the Economic Consequences of Prosecution Failures within Pakistan's Criminal Justice Systems: A Focus on Ethical Considerations, with Comparative Insights from Norway

Abstract

A criminal justice system always desires to discouraging criminality, upholding collective control, and both punishing and restoring individuals who commit criminalities. Nevertheless, the weaknesses in this system, which includes ethnic and socioeconomic unfairness, can dent this classic of fairness. The questions that what problems the police, prosecutors, judiciary etc. are facing and how these glitches may be resolute. There are different hitches with police (investigator officers) public prosecutors, judiciary and prison in the country especially in Punjab, such as political and other pressure, their limited powers for proceeding in cases, the discretion they workout, engagement of private councils by the complainants, the disciplinary thoughts that outlines many of them observes, their un-accountability, and administrative indolence within their offices. The main problems inter alia are frequent transfers, the improbability of their roles, inadequate ability to dig out the evidences of the cases, poor assistance to the courts, unwanted delays in decisions, unfriendly attitude and behavior of officers of polices/ prison and lengthy proceedings which are question marks. This paper provides an overview of existing Criminal Justice System in Punjab/ Pakistan, the details of its key features along with different unethical practices existing in each aspect and ways to counter them. This paper narrates different training programs conducted by United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime in Pakistan with prosecution and police department, which may be replicated throughout the Country for achieving maximum results. This paper also shares certain features of the Norwegian criminal justice system highlighting the reasons of this system being best in the world according to WJP rule of law index.  In conclusion, this paper shares multiple recommendations, which may provide basis of bringing positive change in the current justice system of the Country.