Abstract / Description of output
Monetary expenses are said to prohibit poor rural litigants from accessing official justice institutions, which are often concentrated in urban centres, thus pushing these litigants towards customary forums. At the same time, the alternative customary courts have been shown to cost more than formal justice institutions such as official magistrates courts. This article examines the economics informing litigants’ choices of judicial forums to contribute to a new analysis beyond state-centred legal pluralism. It argues that how money features in cases at barrays – the unofficial, unrecognised, customary courts in the capital city of Sierra Leone – not only explains why ordinary people engage with (extra)legal processes, but also demonstrates how justice is understood and (re)produced in practice.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 328-350 |
Journal | Social and Legal Studies |
Volume | 33 |
Issue number | 3 |
Early online date | 22 Aug 2023 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 22 Aug 2023 |
Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)
- barrays
- customary law
- forum shopping
- justice
- Sierra Leone
- unofficial courts