Resource information
This report presents the research
findings of the Justice Delivered Locally (JDL) initiative
of Solomon Islands' Ministry of Justice and Legal
Affairs, which was supported by the World Bank's
Justice for the Poor (J4P) program. JDL supports the Solomon
Islands Government (SIG) policy of reinvigorating
local-level justice systems. This is based on an
understanding that developmentally important local
governance and conflict management capacities (both state
and non-state) have been significantly weakened since 1978,
the post-independence era, and were not rebuilt even after
the period of violent conflict and social disorder known as
the 'tension' (1998-2003). Overall, the research
indicates that rural citizens by and large prefer to use
locally based, non-state systems to address disputes. These
local non-state systems, where functioning, are generally
seen as culturally relevant, responsive to local needs,
accessible, and well understood. However, these local kastom
systems, typically associated with 'traditional'
authority exercised by chiefs, are under immense stress
owing to larger processes of change and newer types of
conflict. While there is considerable geographical
variation, in some places local systems have broken down
altogether. This is due in part to the entanglement of
chiefs and local leaders in parochial and self-interested
power struggles, especially in the context of natural
resource development, particularly logging. This paper is
the fourth in a series that has been produced under the JDL
initiative. Forthcoming is a fiscal and institutional
analysis of local courts, customary land appeal courts, and
magistrates' courts, and a final note synthesizing
policy recommendations from all of these components. While
this work was undertaken under the purview of the Ministry
of Justice and Legal Affairs, the findings and analysis
presented herein represent the views of the JDL researchers
and do not necessarily reflect the views of the SIG.
