CONGESTION IN GHANA PRISONS
We add our voice to calls that non-custodial sentences should be introduced in the country to decongest the prisons.
Available records indicate that at Ghana’s Independence in 1957 with a population of about six million, prison capacity was 7,000.
Today, with a population of about 26 million, prison capacity stands at only 9,000, which obviously calls for the expansion of the prisons to match with the increased in population.
The attempted jail break in Kumasi in February this year, was because 2,125 prisoners were crammed into a cell meant to accommodate 416 prisoners. Stories from other prisons in the country are not different as the Nsawam medium security prisons hold 3,648 prisoners instead of 851.
While the Wa Central Prisons have 213 in place of 50, Akuse prisons hold 221 prisoners for a capacity for 60.
Reportedly, of the 3,027 remandees 2,960 were males and 70 females, and that about 22.4 percent of prison inmates were those on remand. The highest offence is stealing which accounts for about 42 percent of offenders, followed by unlawful entry of 7.20 percent.
The Catholic Standard is appalled that most of the inmates are young people between the ages of 18 and 25 and are mostly first offenders who constitute about 47.80 percent of the prison population. Junior High School Students take a high percentage of 45.6, Senior High School 13.6, illiteracies, 24.4 with Graduates, i6.6. The trend is alarming because young people in the prime of their lives have become criminals, thus endangering Ghana’s future leadership and labour force.
We support the call for non-custodial sentencing for Ghanaians to decongest the prisons, which in effect, would also separate hardened criminals from first offenders. This Paper believes that non-custodial sentences would prevent healthy people entering prisons only to come out suffering from tuberculosis (T.B), HIV/AIDS, diabetes, skin diseases, hypertension and septic shock, the commonest diseases among prisoners. The many advantages of non-custodial sentences include reducing prisoner’s intake and creating a healthier atmosphere in the prison and also help in the rehabilitation and reformation of convicted prisoners.
Besides, it would reduce Government budgeting allocation for feeding prisoners, each prisoner is fed on GH¢1.80 per day. Other advantages are that society would gain from the community services to be provided by them, while stigmatization connected with imprisonment would also reduce.
The Catholic Standard appeals to the Attorney General and Minister of Justice as well as the Speaker of Parliament to take immediate steps to implement non-custodial sentencing in Ghana as is done in some developed countries. It will be recalled the immediate past Italian Prime Minister not long ago ended his non-custodial sentence by doing communal service.
We believe that Ghana stands to gain immensely if this system is adopted.
Available records indicate that at Ghana’s Independence in 1957 with a population of about six million, prison capacity was 7,000.
Today, with a population of about 26 million, prison capacity stands at only 9,000, which obviously calls for the expansion of the prisons to match with the increased in population.
The attempted jail break in Kumasi in February this year, was because 2,125 prisoners were crammed into a cell meant to accommodate 416 prisoners. Stories from other prisons in the country are not different as the Nsawam medium security prisons hold 3,648 prisoners instead of 851.
While the Wa Central Prisons have 213 in place of 50, Akuse prisons hold 221 prisoners for a capacity for 60.
Reportedly, of the 3,027 remandees 2,960 were males and 70 females, and that about 22.4 percent of prison inmates were those on remand. The highest offence is stealing which accounts for about 42 percent of offenders, followed by unlawful entry of 7.20 percent.
The Catholic Standard is appalled that most of the inmates are young people between the ages of 18 and 25 and are mostly first offenders who constitute about 47.80 percent of the prison population. Junior High School Students take a high percentage of 45.6, Senior High School 13.6, illiteracies, 24.4 with Graduates, i6.6. The trend is alarming because young people in the prime of their lives have become criminals, thus endangering Ghana’s future leadership and labour force.
We support the call for non-custodial sentencing for Ghanaians to decongest the prisons, which in effect, would also separate hardened criminals from first offenders. This Paper believes that non-custodial sentences would prevent healthy people entering prisons only to come out suffering from tuberculosis (T.B), HIV/AIDS, diabetes, skin diseases, hypertension and septic shock, the commonest diseases among prisoners. The many advantages of non-custodial sentences include reducing prisoner’s intake and creating a healthier atmosphere in the prison and also help in the rehabilitation and reformation of convicted prisoners.
Besides, it would reduce Government budgeting allocation for feeding prisoners, each prisoner is fed on GH¢1.80 per day. Other advantages are that society would gain from the community services to be provided by them, while stigmatization connected with imprisonment would also reduce.
The Catholic Standard appeals to the Attorney General and Minister of Justice as well as the Speaker of Parliament to take immediate steps to implement non-custodial sentencing in Ghana as is done in some developed countries. It will be recalled the immediate past Italian Prime Minister not long ago ended his non-custodial sentence by doing communal service.
We believe that Ghana stands to gain immensely if this system is adopted.
