Dr. Lydia Apori-Nkansah

Dr. Lydia Apori-Nkansah, who earned her Ph.D. in Public Policy and Administration from Walden University, received the 2008 Harold L. Hodgkinson Award, Walden’s outstanding dissertation honor.

Her research examined transitional justice in postconflict contexts in Sierra Leone. Titled Transitional Justice in Postconflict Contexts: The Case of Sierra Leone’s Dual Accountability Mechanisms, her dissertation analyzed the dynamics of dual transitional and restorative justice used by policymakers seeking to hold criminals accountable as those policymakers conduct truth and reconciliation proceedings.

This award recognizes Apori-Nkansah for her scholarship and work as a human rights activist. She is an attorney and a human rights adjudicator who has worked for restorative justice in the war-torn countries of Liberia and Sierra Leone. She also has lobbied governments to establish truth and reconciliation commissions,  created legislative draft proposals, and built awareness of restorative justice through radio, television and newspapers campaigns.

In her dissertation, Apori-Nkansah looked at whether both restorative and retributive justice should be applied and if so, when and how.

[Watch a video of Apori-Nkansah presenting her research to the Walden community.]

Working in the Wake of War
Her dissertation notes the outbreak of an internal armed conflict in 1991 in Sierra Leone between the government and the Revolutionary United Front, a rebel opposition group. The event marked the beginning of a 10-year civil war that left behind massive human-rights violations, destruction of life and property, and deep scarring of the nation.

Dr. Gloria J. Billingsley of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences nominated Apori-Nkansah for the award, writing, “Operating under severe constraints due to periodic and sustained power outages, Dr. Apori-Nkansah was able to conduct research that will have social and political significance not only for Sierra Leone, but for other war-torn countries struggling with how to restore, heal and establish justice in postconflict eras. … Her research exemplifies a quality that is world class.”

Apori-Nkansah said, “There had been a lot of abuses, and our work at the Sierra Leone Truth and Reconciliation Commission was first, to address the needs of victims to find out what happened to them, and then, to create a forum between victims and perpetrators to identify the causes. At that point, we could make recommendations for institutional reforms.”

Peace Building
It was an experience in peace building, said Apori-Nkansah, that with restorative justice, you “allow two tellings—invite both sides to come on stage and narrate the suffering. And for the state to validate that—indeed, this is what you went through—and to record [it].

She added, “At the same time that’s true, [the] platform will permit the perpetrator to come and to narrate his part of the story, and in some cases, ask if the victim wants to forgive.”

Two Approaches to Justice
In her dissertation, Apori-Nkansah wrote about the two justice approaches, restorative and retributive: “It was found that because the two institutions were not planned and coordinated as different parts of the same tool, they were pitched against each other, undermining their respective mandates and creating tensions in their efforts to implement their plans. Also, the Sierra Leonean populace, civil society organizations, the government and the international community, including the United Nations, were divided in their opinions, sentiments and support for the two mechanisms.

She continued, “The implication of this study is that the policy choice, design and packaging of restorative and retributive mechanisms for postconflict transitional justice should not create conflict so that they can link seamlessly to the strategic goal of peace and stability.”

Apori-Nkansah describes retributive justice as “condemnation.” In the context of her research, that justice approach was overseen by a special court in postconflict Sierra Leone. It prosecuted and punished those found to bear the greatest responsibility for serious violations of international humanitarian law and national law.

Research Conclusions
Apori-Nkansah’s dissertation concluded, in part, “Each transition is different; the choice of accountability mechanisms is dependent on the socioeconomic and political dynamics of a particular transition. Thus, any attempt to redress human rights abuses, which have taken place on a large scale, may require divergent approaches and tools that are appropriate for the nation concerned. …”

 “…The logic, evidence, and facts presented by the articles seem to indicate that transitional justice has contributed to democratization processes elsewhere, but these claims are yet to be tested. The strength of the literature however is … [it] serves as a compass, showing direction for future research and policy framework.”

Bernard L. Turner Award
Billingsley chaired Apori-Nkansah’s dissertation, for which she received the Bernard L. Turner Award. The other members of Apori-Nkansah’s dissertation committee were Dr. Mark Gordon and Dr. Anthony Leisner, both of the School of Public Policy and Administration.

Harold L. Hodgkinson Award
The Harold L. Hodgkinson Award is bestowed annually upon a Walden graduate whose dissertation is judged as meeting the highest university standards of academic excellence. The award honors the life of dedication and the distinguished career of one of the nation’s foremost experts in demography, Dr. Harold L. Hodgkinson. It also recognizes Hodgkinson’s instrumental role in the establishment and academic development of Walden University.

More Information
Watch a video of Apori-Nkansah presenting her research to the Walden community.

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