Afghan justice: A system in shambles confounds judges, jailers and prisoners.(The Dallas Morning News)

KABUL, Afghanistan All it takes is a peek inside the boys' cell at Kabul's Wilayat prison to understand why so many inmates, young and old, erupt in cynical laughter when the phrase "Afghan justice" is spoken.

The 19 boys, most of whom are accused of petty crimes such as bicycle theft and purse snatching, are stuck in a cellblock along with hundreds of adult males accused of murder, kidnapping, homosexual rape, armed robbery and drug trafficking.

The door to the boys' single room is unlocked, and although prison officials say access to the room is restricted, it is clear that any prisoner can enter whenever he pleases. Conditions are abominable: Lice infest everything. The boys sleep on the floor or share triple-decker bunkbeds that line the 14-by-14 foot room. Anyone, adult or child, who wants food at the prison has to get someone on the outside to bring it to him. Otherwise, he goes hungry.

"This is a bad system," said Sherullah, a 12-year-old with dirty cheeks and leathery skin who bears all the marks of a child toughened way beyond his years by the hard Kabul street life. At the same time, his wide, teary eyes betray the fear of a child caught in a system way beyond his comprehension, much less control.

Afghan justice, like so many other aspects of this society ripped apart by 23 years of war, is slowly making a transition from a rigid form of Sharia Islamic law enforced during ...