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<p>This article examines the concept of defense disclosures within the theory of managerialism in criminal proceedings in Ghana. Through a doctrinal and comparative legal analysis with the English jurisdiction, it finds that in substance, the requirement of defense disclosure seeks to move the criminal process from its core protectionist ideology that insulates the accused from matters of proof toward a managerial process informed by objectives of truth-finding, trial efficiency and case management. Ironically, this new direction in the criminal trial process is in practice denounced as being at odds with the procedural due process values that shield the accused from matters of proof and pretrial disclosures. The problem is that unlike in England where the move towards defense disclosures is informed by a clear policy change, the managerial policy introduced by the Judiciary in Ghana is not grounded in any articulated theory or policy direction. While pursuing a path of ensuring effective criminal adjudication through mutual disclosures by the parties, it is important to find a proper balance between the denounced but yet adopted procedural concept of defense disclosures and the highly valued protectionist rights of the accused.</p>
</abstract>

This article examines the concept of defense disclosures within the theory of managerialism in criminal proceedings in Ghana. Through a doctrinal and comparative legal analysis with the English jurisdiction, it finds that in substance, the requirement of defense disclosure seeks to move the criminal process from its core protectionist ideology that insulates the accused from matters of proof toward a managerial process informed by objectives of truth-finding, trial efficiency and case management. Ironically, this new direction in the criminal trial process is in practice denounced as being at odds with the procedural due process values that shield the accused from matters of proof and pretrial disclosures. The problem is that unlike in England where the move towards defense disclosures is informed by a clear policy change, the managerial policy introduced by the Judiciary in Ghana is not grounded in any articulated theory or policy direction. While pursuing a path of ensuring effective criminal adjudication through mutual disclosures by the parties, it is important to find a proper balance between the denounced but yet adopted procedural concept of defense disclosures and the highly valued protectionist rights of the accused.

A Review of Defence Pretrial Disclosures Within the Case Management Theory of Criminal Proceedings in Ghana

Journal of Legal Studies

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

This article examines the concept of defense disclosures within the theory of managerialism in criminal proceedings in Ghana. Through a doctrinal and...

A Review of Defence Pretrial Disclosures Within the Case Management Theory of Criminal Proceedings in Ghana

Published Online: May 19, 2022

Page range: 69 - 90

Received: Mar 01, 2022

Accepted: Apr 01, 2022

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/jles-2022-0005

Keywords
criminal prosecution, disclosures, adversarial, pretrial, managerialism

© 2022 Isidore Kwadwo Tufuor, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

A Review of Defence Pretrial Disclosures Within the Case Management Theory of Criminal Proceedings in Ghana

Published Online: May 19, 2022

Page range: 69 - 90

Received: Mar 01, 2022

Accepted: Apr 01, 2022

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/jles-2022-0005

Keywordscriminal prosecution, disclosures, adversarial, pretrial, managerialism

© 2022 Isidore Kwadwo Tufuor, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Keywords
criminal prosecution, disclosures, adversarial, pretrial, managerialism