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The Justice Brief With Spenklin Kamara, Paynesville (2026)

06/03/2026

The Justice Brief with Spenklin Kamara
Issue #16: Who Is a Criminal?

In everyday talk, people answer this question very quickly.

“A criminal is someone who breaks the law.”

It sounds simple. But once you step into the world of criminal justice, you realize the answer is deeper than that.

In law, nobody wakes up a criminal.

A person becomes a criminal only after the law has spoken and a competent court has examined the evidence and declared guilt. Until that moment, the person is simply a suspect or an accused person.

This distinction matters more than many people realize.

In our communities, the moment someone is arrested, the judgment has already been passed in the street. The whispers start. The labels begin. The person is already called a rogue, thief, or criminal long before a judge ever hears the case.

But justice does not work that way.

The foundation of criminal law is the principle that every person is innocent until proven guilty. The burden is on the state to prove the accusation, not on the accused to prove innocence.

For a crime to exist in law, three basic elements must come together.

First, there must be a law that clearly prohibits the act. If the law does not forbid it, then legally it is not a crime.

Second, there must be a guilty act; what lawyers call actus reus. In simple terms, someone must actually commit the prohibited conduct.

Third, there must be a guilty mind, known as mens rea. The law usually requires intention, knowledge, recklessness, or negligence before criminal responsibility can be established.

When these elements are proven beyond reasonable doubt in court, only then does the law attach the label: criminal.

But criminal justice also forces us to confront an uncomfortable reality.

The word “criminal” is often used unevenly in society.

The young man who steals a phone is quickly branded a criminal. His name spreads through the neighborhood. But the official who quietly diverts public money meant for hospitals, schools, or roads may still walk with respect and a government title.

Yet the damage from corruption often destroys far more lives than the theft of a phone.

The law, if it is truly just, must treat both acts as crimes.

This is why a serious justice system must never allow public anger, rumor, or power to decide who deserves the label criminal. Only the law, tested through due process, has that authority.

A criminal, in the strict legal sense, is a person who has been proven guilty in a court of law for violating the criminal law of the state.

Nothing more.

Anything outside that process is speculation, not justice.

A society that forgets this principle risks replacing justice with mob judgment.

And when that happens, nobody is truly safe.

Spenklin Kamara
The Justice Brief

15/02/2026

Why The Justice Brief Exists

In Liberia, the law often feels far away from the people it is meant to serve. It is spoken in heavy language, applied unevenly, and understood by very few. Over time, this distance has weakened trust, confused citizens, and allowed injustice to go unchecked.

The Justice Brief With Spenklin Kamara exists to change that.

This platform breaks down criminal justice and legal issues in simple, practical terms that people can understand and apply in their daily lives. It creates space for honest discussion, careful analysis, and responsible commentary on how our laws are made, how they are interpreted, and how they are enforced.

Here, we look closely at:
• What the law actually says
• How justice institutions operate in real life
• Where the system works and where it fails
• How young people and citizens can better understand their rights and responsibilities

~ This is not about headlines or excitement.
~ This is not politics.
~ This is not noise.

It is about legal awareness, accountability, and respect for the rule of law; grounded in facts, ethics, and lived reality.

The Justice Brief is for students, professionals, policymakers, and everyday citizens who believe that justice works best when the law is understood.

This is where law meets the people.

This is The Justice Brief.

11/02/2026

Today, we honor the men and women of the Armed Forces of Liberia whose service stands between our nation and chaos.

From a justice perspective, a professional military is not just about defense, it is about discipline, constitutional loyalty, civilian protection, and respect for the rule of law. The strength of a democracy is measured not by the power of its arms, but by how responsibly those arms are used.
On this Armed Forces Day, The Justice Brief With Spenklin Kamara salutes every soldier who serves with integrity, restraint, and commitment to national peace. Your duty carries weight. Your conduct carries consequences. And your loyalty must always remain with the Constitution and the people of Liberia.

We honor your sacrifice.
We demand professionalism.
We uphold accountability.

Happy Armed Forces Day to the Armed Forces of Liberia.

09/02/2026

The Justice Brief With Spenklin Kamara
Issue #15: When Silence Is Not Guilt; Understanding Your Right to Speak or Stay Quiet in Liberia

In Liberia, one sentence has ruined more lives than a bad lawyer or a slow court system:

“Just explain yourself.”

Those three words have sent innocent people from the police station straight into prolonged detention.

Let’s talk plainly.
When you are invited, picked up, or arrested by the police, you are not required to explain anything immediately. Silence is not disrespect. Silence is not guilt. Silence is a right.

Many Liberians believe that if you don’t talk, police will assume you are guilty. That belief is wrong and dangerous. In reality, most people get into trouble not because they committed a crime, but because they spoke without understanding the process.

At the police station, officers are trained to collect information. That information can help you, or destroy you. Once something leaves your mouth, you cannot pull it back. Statements are written down, interpreted, and sometimes reshaped in ways you never intended.

This is where many people fall.
° You think you are explaining.
° They are documenting.
° You think you are clearing yourself.
° You are unknowingly building a case.

Liberian law allows police to question you, but it also protects your right not to answer questions that may incriminate you. Asking for time, asking for guidance, or choosing to remain silent until you understand the situation is not a crime.

Another hard truth: fear makes people confess to things they did not do.

• Fear of detention.
• Fear of embarrassment.
• Fear of authority.

That fear has kept innocent people behind bars longer than the law ever intended.
This does not mean you should be rude or aggressive. Respect matters. Tone matters. But knowledge matters more.

A calm response like:
“I will speak after I understand the situation properly.”
is not defiance. It is wisdom.

In our communities, we were taught that elders speak and youths listen. That value is important in social life, but the justice system does not run on respect alone, it runs on procedure. If you don’t understand the procedure, respect will not save you.

This is why justice education matters.
Not so people can fight police.
But so people don’t fight themselves with ignorance.

At The Justice Brief, the goal is simple:
Help everyday Liberians avoid unnecessary suffering caused by lack of information.
Justice should not feel like a trap.
But without knowledge, it often does.

This page provides justice education and guidance, not legal representation.

For guidance, documentation support, or community sessions, inbox The Justice Brief.

07/02/2026

From a criminal justice perspective, this should concern all of us: today it is Prophet Key, but tomorrow it could be Eddie D. Jarwolo of Naymote Liberia for a report, CENTAL for calling out judicial corruption, or a student activist for asking tough questions. When contempt is used to silence criticism instead of protecting justice, it sends a clear message to citizens: keep quiet or face punishment. This is a bad precedent for any democracy.

06/02/2026

THE JUSTICE BRIEF WITH SPENKLIN KAMARA
Official Legal Opinion | For Public Learning and Scholarly Discussion

Freedom of Speech and Contempt of Court in Liberia: Let’s Talk Plainly

The internet is having an important legal conversation right now, and we should not shy away from it. At the heart of this discussion is a simple but serious question: Can the courts punish speech simply because it is offensive, or does the Constitution protect that speech even when we don’t like it? This opinion is shared for learning and discussion, not to disrespect the Honorable Supreme Court of Liberia or any public official.

Our starting point must always be the 1986 Constitution of Liberia. Article 15 guarantees freedom of speech, expression, and the press. That provision was written with experience behind it. Liberia knows what happens when those in power decide what citizens can or cannot say. The Constitution allows regulation of speech, yes, but only when it is reasonable, necessary, and limited. It does not allow punishment just because speech is embarrassing, harsh, or uncomfortable.
Liberia strengthened this protection with the Kamara Abdullah Kamara Act of Press Freedom. That law was passed because journalists and ordinary citizens were being arrested and jailed under criminal libel and defamation laws. The Act repealed those laws and made a clear statement: speech against public officials, even when strong or offensive, should not be treated as a crime. When someone accepts public office, they also accept public criticism. That is the price of leadership in a democracy.

This issue is not new in Liberia. Many of us still remember the Rodney D. Sieh case in 2013, when the editor of FrontPage Africa was jailed for contempt over publications critical of the judiciary. That incident caused national debate and international concern. Whether one agreed with the language used or not, the bigger lesson was clear: using contempt powers against speech can easily silence the press and scare citizens into quietness. That is dangerous for any democracy.
Contempt of court is supposed to protect the work of the courts, not the feelings of individuals. In simple terms, contempt applies when someone disrupts court proceedings, disobeys a court order, or interferes with justice.

An insult made outside the courtroom, no matter how rude, does not automatically block justice. If we start treating insults as contempt, then contempt power becomes too wide and too easy to abuse.

It is also important to separate personal dignity from institutional authority. When speech targets a public official personally, that does not mean the entire court as an institution has been attacked. Turning a personal insult into a matter for the full bench of the Supreme Court risks mixing personal issues with judicial power. That is not healthy for public trust in the courts.

Liberian law already provides a proper remedy for injured reputation: civil defamation. That is where evidence is examined, defenses are raised, and damages, if any, are decided. Contempt proceedings are different. They are strong, fast, and exceptional. They should be used carefully and only when the administration of justice is truly under threat.

Liberia has also made promises beyond its borders. By signing the Table Mountain Declaration, our country agreed that criminal punishment for speech, especially against public officials, has no place in a democratic society. Public officials are expected to tolerate more criticism than ordinary citizens. That is part of accountability.

Even in other democracies, this thinking is clear. In the famous New York Times v. Sullivan case, the U.S. Supreme Court said public debate must be open and strong, even when it includes sharp and unpleasant criticism of leaders. While that case is not Liberian law, its reasoning fits well with our Constitution and our press freedom law.

Let me be clear: this is not a defense of vulgar language or disrespect. Insults are not helpful, and they do not build our nation. But the law must protect speech we dislike, because once we allow punishment for offensive speech, no one’s voice is safe.

Today it may be a prophet Key. Tomorrow it could be a journalist, a student, or an activist. Freedom of expression only has meaning when it protects unpopular speech.

The better legal path is clear: civil remedies, not contempt powers. The dignity of the judiciary is best protected by fairness, restraint, and respect for the Constitution, not by fear.
This is a conversation Liberia must have openly and honestly.

The Justice Brief With Spenklin Kamara
Official Opinion | For Public Education and Scholarly Discussion

05/02/2026

The Justice Brief with Spenklin Kamara | Issue #14

Self-Defense: Where Survival Meets the Law

A split second can decide everything.
Fear rises. Adrenaline kicks in. Instinct takes over.
But when that moment passes, the law steps in, and it asks hard questions.

Self-defense is one of the most misunderstood concepts in criminal justice. Many people think it simply means “I was protecting myself.” That thinking is dangerous. In law, self-defense is not a feeling. It is a carefully defined legal justification that must meet strict conditions.

Let’s break it down, clearly, honestly, and without shortcuts.

1. What Self-Defense Really Means in Criminal Justice:
Self-defense is a legal justification that excuses conduct that would otherwise be criminal. The key word is justification, not excuse, not emotion, not revenge.
Across criminal justice systems, including Liberia and other common-law jurisdictions;
four core elements are usually required:

a. Imminent Threat
The danger must be immediate. Not yesterday. Not tomorrow. Not “he once threatened me.”
The threat must be happening now.

b. Proportionality
Your response must match the level of threat.
Deadly force against minor force collapses a self-defense claim instantly.

c. Necessity
Force must be the last reasonable option.
If escape, retreat, or de-escalation was possible, the law expects it to be taken.

d. Reasonableness
Would a reasonable person, in the same situation, believe force was necessary?
This is where courts live, and where many claims fail.
Self-defense is judged after the chaos, in calm courtrooms, by people who were not afraid in that moment. That is the hard truth.

2. Sociology Matters: Why Self-Defense Is Not Experienced Equally:

From a sociological perspective, self-defense does not exist in a vacuum.
People from high-crime, under-policed communities often experience:
• Delayed police response
Normalized violence
Daily exposure to threat
This shapes how danger is perceived. What feels imminent to someone raised in chronic insecurity may look excessive to someone who never lived it.
Criminal justice systems often struggle to account for this reality. The result?

Some self-defense claims are scrutinized more harshly than others, based on class, environment, and social background.
This is not theory. It is observable in arrest patterns, charging decisions, and sentencing outcomes.

3. Self-Defense vs Retaliation: The Line People Cross
Here is where many lives collapse.
Self-defense ends when the threat ends.
Chasing a fleeing attacker? Not self-defense.
Striking back out of anger after control is regained? Not self-defense.
Using force to “teach a lesson”? That is criminal liability.
The law protects survival, not pride, not revenge, not street justice.

4. Weapons Complicate Everything
The presence of a weapon changes the legal equation immediately.
Who introduced the weapon?
Was the weapon lawfully possessed?
Did its use escalate the situation?
Courts assume that weapons increase lethality. That means higher scrutiny, heavier charges, and fewer second chances.

In many cases, people who believed they were defending themselves end up charged because their response crossed the proportionality line.

5. The Harsh Reality
Self-defense is not decided on social media.
It is not decided by public sympathy.
It is decided by evidence, consistency, and legal standards.
Many defendants fail not because they were wrong—but because they could not prove they were right.

Self-defense is about preserving life, not asserting dominance.
It is about restraint under pressure.
It is about knowing when force is lawful, and when it becomes a crime.
Understanding self-defense is not just legal education.
It is survival education.
Because once the danger passes, the law will ask:
Did you defend yourself, or did you cross the line?

The Justice Brief with Spenklin Kamara

Where law meets lived reality

04/02/2026

The Justice Brief with Spenklin Kamara
Issue #13

The “Broken Windows” Theory, Why the Small Details Matter for Liberia’s Future

As a criminal justice professional and an emerging lawyer, I often reflect on one question that sits at the heart of public safety: Why do some communities remain orderly while others slowly drift into disorder and crime?
Many people rush to blame only poverty or unemployment. Those are real factors. But criminology and sociology teach us that environment matters just as much as income. Sometimes, the road to serious crime begins with something small, a broken window left unfixed.

Today, let’s examine the Broken Windows Theory, not as foreign academic talk, but as a mirror of our everyday Liberian experience.

Understanding the Idea Behind Broken Windows:
In 1982, scholars James Q. Wilson and George L. Kelling introduced a theory grounded in human behavior and social order. Their argument was straightforward:
When visible signs of neglect, broken windows, garbage, vandalism, are ignored, they signal that no one is in charge. Once that signal is sent, disorder multiplies.

This is not about walls and glass alone. It is about social meaning. People read their environment and adjust their behavior accordingly. When disorder looks normal, respect for rules weakens.

From a sociological perspective, this connects directly to social control theory, the idea that strong communities regulate behavior informally through shared norms, values, and watchful presence. When disorder takes over, that informal control collapses.

Liberia Through the Lens of Broken Windows:
When we walk through parts of Monrovia and other urban centers, we see more than infrastructure challenges. We see signals:
• Streets used as dumping sites
• Broken streetlights left unrepaired
• Public spaces abandoned
• Rules enforced today and ignored tomorrow

These conditions quietly teach lessons, especially to young people. The lesson is simple but dangerous: rules are flexible, authority is weak, and consequences are uncertain.

Criminology research shows that environments like these increase the risk of first-time offending, not because people are born criminal, but because disorder reduces restraint.

How Neglect Turns Into Crime:
1. Weakening Community Bonds
In orderly neighborhoods, people greet each other, intervene when something feels wrong, and protect shared spaces. Disorder breaks these bonds. Fear replaces trust. Doors stay shut. The community stops policing itself.

2. Normalizing Rule-Breaking
Small violations, illegal dumping, public nuisance, petty vandalism, may seem harmless. But when ignored, they create a culture where breaking rules feels acceptable. Serious crimes often follow this same path, just at a higher level.

3. Fear Drives Out the Law-Abiding
When public spaces look unsafe, decent people withdraw. Parks empty. Streets lose life. This creates space for those who are willing to operate outside the law. Crime does not just rise, it occupies.

What Reform Should Look Like:
Real criminal justice reform cannot focus only on courts, police stations, and prisons. By the time someone reaches a cell, the system has already failed earlier.

Consistent Enforcement of Minor Laws:
Liberia’s laws already address many quality-of-life issues. What is missing is fairness and consistency. When minor laws are enforced properly and respectfully, major crimes are prevented.

Environmental Prevention:
Good lighting, clean streets, maintained public buildings, these are not cosmetic projects. They are grounded in environmental criminology, which shows that well, designed spaces reduce crime opportunities.

Community and Police Working Together:
Policing works best when communities are partners, not spectators. When residents see that police care about small issues, trust grows. And with trust, cooperation against serious crime becomes possible.

The Deeper Truth:
The condition of our environment reflects the condition of our justice system.
When we tolerate neglect, we silently accept disorder. But when we fix small problems early, we send a strong message: this community matters, this law matters, and people matter.

Let me leave you with this question:
What is the most visible “broken window” in your community that, if fixed, would change how safe people feel?

03/02/2026

The Justice Brief with Spenklin Kamara
Issue #12

The Science of the Split Second: Why Impulse Control Matters

Most crimes don’t start with a master plan.
They start with a moment.

• A sharp word.
• A quick insult.
• Empty pockets.
• A hot temper.

One second where the mind fails to pause, and a life quietly changes direction.
That space is rarely discussed in justice: the split second between thought and action.
In previous issues, we explored laws, courts, and codes. Today, we step closer to the human side of crime, because behind every charge sheet is a moment someone did not slow down.

When the Brakes Fail:
Impulse control is the mind’s brake system. It is the inner voice that says, wait… not now… think first.
When that brake fails, the law steps in.
Many offenses we see, assault, theft, drug-related cases, are not carefully planned. They are emotional reactions to pressure, hunger, anger, fear, or frustration. The law names them crimes. Psychology sees them as missed pauses.
Understanding this does not excuse crime.
It explains it.
And explanation is where real solutions begin.

Here’s the Eye-Opening Truth:
Impulse control is not something people are born with or without.
It can be learned.

Research, and even community-based programs tested here in Monrovia, show that when high-risk individuals are taught how to pause, reflect, and choose differently, crime drops. Not by magic. By skill.

In some communities, teaching young people how to manage pressure reduced theft and drug-related offenses by nearly half.
Pause on that.
Less crime, not through more arrests, but through stronger minds.

What This Means for Our Justice System:
Our Penal Code responds after harm is done. But what if justice also worked before damage occurs?
For young people especially, whose decision-making centers are still developing, punishment without mental rebuilding is like fixing a car without repairing the brakes. We punish the act, release the person with the same impulses, then act surprised when they return.
Justice should correct behavior, not just record it.

The Hard Question:
If crime happens in a split second, should justice only punish, or should it also teach control?

Some argue harsh punishment keeps order. Others look at overcrowded prisons and repeat offenders and ask whether we are recycling the same mistakes.
True accountability does not end at sentencing.
It ends when behavior changes.

A Smarter Way Forward:
• Teach self-control early, in schools, before anger meets opportunity.
• Use diversion laws to guide youth toward growth, not permanent labels.
• Turn prisons into places of mental rebuilding, not just confinement.

Justice is not only about stopping crime.
It is about teaching people how to stop themselves.

Pause with me on this one.
That split second may be the most important place justice has ignored.

What do you think, can we build safer communities by teaching control, or is punishment alone enough?
Let’s reason together.

30/01/2026

The Justice Brief with Spenklin Kamara | Issue #11

The Science of Environment: Why Place Matters in Crime

When we talk about crime in Liberia, we often start with who did it and how they should be punished. That question matters, but it is incomplete. As a criminal justice professional, I believe the deeper question is where crime grows and why it keeps returning to the same places.

Today’s brief looks at Social Disorganization Theory. This is not classroom theory. It is a lens for understanding why crime concentrates in specific communities and why punishment alone has failed to fix it.

Crime Has an Address:
Crime does not spread evenly. It clusters.
Communities like Point, , Light and parts of Kru Town are often labeled as “crime zones.” But these places are not broken because of the people living there. They are strained because the social structure holding people together has weakened.

The Chicago School of criminology explains social disorganization as a condition where a community can no longer enforce shared values or informal rules. When that happens, control shifts from the community to the streets.

Three forces usually drive this breakdown:
Poverty and economic blockage:
When legal opportunities feel unreachable, survival replaces aspiration.

High residential movement:
Constant relocation means neighbors remain strangers. Trust never settles.

Physical neglect:
Poor housing, unmanaged waste, abandoned spaces, these silently announce that no one is watching.
This is not just sociology. It is everyday reality.

When Institutions Go Silent:
In organized communities, control does not start with police. It starts with families, churches, schools, elders, and neighbors.
In disorganized communities, these voices weaken. Two things follow:

Loss of informal control:
No one corrects, warns, or intervenes because relationships are fragile or nonexistent.

Rise of survival subcultures:
Young people find identity, protection, and structure in zogos or gangs, not because they love crime, but because society failed to offer an alternative.

This is not moral failure. It is structural neglect.

Law, Punishment, and the Recycling of Crime:
Regional data, including insights from UNODC reports on West African cities, show a consistent truth: crime clusters where environments are unstable.
Liberia’s Penal Code and Criminal Procedure Law rightly focus on individual liability. But here is the hard truth:
If we remove a person from a disorganized community, imprison them, and return them to the same conditions, we have solved nothing. We have only paused the problem.
This is how recidivism is manufactured.

The Way Forward: Collective Efficacy
The opposite of social disorganization is collective efficacy; the ability of a community to regulate itself.

It looks like this:
Neighbors who know each other
Shared responsibility for public spaces
Schools and youth centers stronger than street influence.
Institutions that are present, not distant
Safety grows when people believe the community belongs to them.

We cannot arrest our way out of broken neighborhoods.
We must rebuild the social fabric.
Crime in our most labeled communities is not proof of bad people, it is evidence of failed structures. When we fix the environment, behavior follows.
The neighborhood is the first justice system.
When we strengthen it, we protect the nation.

How can citizens, legal professionals, and policymakers work together to rebuild collective responsibility in our urban communities? Let’s think beyond punishment. Let’s talk solutions.

The Justice Brief With Spenklin Kamara

06/03/2026

15/02/2026

11/02/2026

09/02/2026

07/02/2026

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