The Untreated Wounds of Crime Victims in Tanzania: A Psychological Consideration

Abstract

Prior to the introduction of the colonial adversarial criminal justice system in Tanzania, crime victims actively participated in justice matters. Currently, crime victims’ interests are cared for by the state in ways that are inattentive to the complexities of their concerns. As a result, the wounds of criminality are left untreated and could perpetuate revenge and cycles of violence and conflict. Consideration of psychological dynamics in the contemporary criminal justice system is necessary so that the victims’ psychological needs can be better met. Whereas the common law justice system considers punishment as justice done, restorative justice, in contrast, frames justice as healing. Research based on victims’ psychological needs and wounds remains thin in relation to the Tanzanian criminal justice system. This chapter makes a case for the peace-building potential of restorative justice in this context, informed by interviews with various criminal justice system stakeholders. Adding victims’ psychological needs through this approach can give justice more credence in a sense that resonates with those harmed by violent crimes. The failure to do so keeps crime victims’ wounds untreated and prevents a holistic approach to stopping direct violence and hence promoting positive peace.KeywordsCrimeVictimsHealingPsychological considerationTanzania