IN-CJ Podcast 030 – Decolonising Criminal Justice Webinar Two
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The International Network for Criminal Justice hosted our second international webinar on the topic of Decolonisation, Cultures and Communities. De Montfort University is among the universities that is recognising that our approaches to learning, teaching and research commonly assume western, European or Anglo-American perspectives which can represent an incomplete or even distorted understanding of topics and the ways in which they might be explored. This is the second seminar on this subject and, as in the first seminar (recording available online), these matters are to be discussed by an international panel who will bring perspectives from other countries, precisely in accord with the aspiration to decolonise.
This podcast continues the IN-CJ series on decolonisation, focusing on how criminal justice systems around the world remain shaped by colonial legacies, and how these can be challenged through cultural recognition, local knowledge, and new approaches to justice.
The discussion began with reflections from Dennis Bracken (Canada), who highlighted the stark over-representation of Indigenous peoples in Canadian prisons. He distinguished between cultural colonialism, which acknowledges and sometimes incorporates diversity, and structural colonialism, which maintains systemic power imbalances. While initiatives such as Gladue reports have sought to bring cultural context into sentencing, Bracken argued that deep structural issues remain resistant to change.
Don John O’Malley (Nigeria) examined the impact of colonialism on African justice traditions. English law, imposed during colonial rule, displaced indigenous practices of conflict resolution that were more restorative and community-based. He argued for a process of remoralising justice in Nigeria, where legitimacy and fairness can be rebuilt by reclaiming and adapting indigenous approaches rooted in restoration and community balance.
Juliana Kabunaru (Romania) reflected on how knowledge and justice policies often travel internationally, shaped by global institutions and donors. She stressed that reforms cannot simply be “imported” but must be locally adapted to avoid policy colonisation. Successful innovation, she suggested, requires attention to context, community needs, and meaningful participation.
The conversation emphasised that decolonisation involves more than cultural awareness. It requires challenging entrenched power structures, resisting superficial adaptations, and ensuring that reforms genuinely reflect the communities they are meant to serve.
This session underlined that decolonising criminal justice is a global challenge: one that demands honesty about history, openness to indigenous and local practices, and commitment to systemic change.
The programme includes presentations from colleagues in Canada, Nigeria and Romania. Each presentation is followed by questions from the audience. In answering these questions, the presenters are joined by a panel, chaired by Professor Rob Canton.
Presenter(s):
- Denis Bracken, Professor Emeritus, Faculty of Social Work, University of Manitoba
- Don John Omale, Professor of Criminology, Federal University Wukari Taraba State, Nigeria
- Iuliana Carbunaru, CEP Board Member Confederation of European Probation
