NCJ Number
135677
Date Published
1989
Length
5 pages
Annotation
The criminal justice system in Papua New Guinea has three distinct areas of administration: Police Force, Department of Justice, and Corrective Institution Services.
Abstract
The Police Force, known as the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary, is charged with enforcing the law, preserving peace and order, protecting property, preventing and detecting offenses, and bringing offenders to justice. The Department of Justice provides legal advice to the government and has jurisdiction over the courts. Papua New Guinea has four main types of courts: National Court, District Courts, Children's Courts, and Village Courts. The Department of Justice is also responsible for the Probation Service. The responsibility of the Corrective Institution Services is to carry out custodial sentences imposed by the courts and hold remand prisoners prior to sentencing. Institutions have been established in all Malaysian provinces to hold prisoners and rehabilitate them before they are released back to the community. Several measures have been implemented to alleviate the problem of prison overcrowding including the construction of new facilities, the use of community-based programs, cooperation between the criminal justice system and the private sector, home leave, work release, weekend detention, and voluntary supervision.