ABSTRACT
This conclusion presents some closing thoughts on the key concepts discussed in the preceding chapters of this book. The book the postcolonial society to appreciate, question, creatively synthesize, and use the good qualities of its indigenous and foreign law and justice systems. Postcolonial societies, such as Nigeria, are typically over-criminalized. This is a common and enduring colonial legacy. Over-criminalization means that some behaviors that ought not to be labeled "criminal" are so identified, while some other crimes are punished more severely than necessary. Strategies for reducing criminal law should include redefining some crimes as civil wrongs, and lessening the penalties for some other transgressions. The argument to control the role of criminal law in the social control of a society is predicated on the identified benefits of shrinking, rather than growing, the field of criminal law. Over-criminalization signifies that the State has stolen many citizens' private disputes from the owners.
