Law and Order
Law & Order is a photo project that compares the criminal justice system in four different countries on four continents: Colombia (South-America), France (Europe), Uganda (Africa) and the United States (North-America). It combines an artistic view with a documentary approach.
Uganda is the ninth most populous country in Africa, with a population of about 35 million. Contrary to the political turmoil and wanton human rights violations that characterized post-independence regimes, Uganda has enjoyed relative political stability and economic development since the mid-1980s. Political stability was partly attained with the aid of amnesty laws
With a population approaching 67 million, France is the second-most populated country in the EU. Shaped by Napoleonic law, criminal justice in France is characterized by comprehensive codes and inquisitorial investigation proceedings dominated by the prosecution. Its by-and-large liberal political orientation is based on the 1789 Declaration of Human Rights, which maintains that the State can prohibit only socially harmful behavior.
With a population of 45 million, Colombia has the third highest population in Latin America. Colombia’s history has been marked by violent conflict. Today, however, a stabilization of the country’s economic and political situation is evident, and progress has been made with regard to the rule of law.
With almost 320 million inhabitants, the United States has the world’s third largest population. Georgia, the eighth most populous state in the United States, has almost 10 million inhabitants. The legal system in the United States has roots in English common law, a system in which judges defined criminal offenses.