The Chief Public Relations Officer of the Ghana Prisons Service, Superintendent Vitalis Aryeh has said that non-custodial sentences could be a major way to decongest the prisons if pursued.
At a recent forum on non-custodial sentence in Accra, the Deputy Commissioner of Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Richard said that laws should be amended to cater for trivial situations. He also bemoaned situations where inmates are jailed for months together with some members of their family for stealing.
Mr. Aryeh said prisoners who are not considered a serious threat to themselves, the security of the State and fellow inmates could be given non-custodial sentences.
The superintendent said the media and Ghanaians should give the Bill the attention it deserves to be passed into law to help all individuals.
Mr. Aryeh was speaking on Radio Ghana’s current affairs programme “BEHIND THE NEWS”.
A Human rights lawyer, Francis Xavier Sosu on his part said it is a very welcoming call by CHRAJ to push for the non-custodial sentences especially for minor offences. He said in as much as it is long overdue, it is a crucial time for Ghana to pass the Bill into law.
He added that the congestions in our prisons and the latest report of the United Nations on Ghana’s prisons tell how the nature of our prisons violates the rights of the inmates.
The Human Rights lawyer said he thinks all that the Bill requires is the political will of government and the desire to solve the issue including all parties involved such as the attorney general, committee in charge of legislation in parliament and parliament as a body.
He said that he does not foresee anything preventing government but he thinks such decisions depends on the priority of the law makers
Lawyer Sosu said the bill could be passed by the end of the next term of parliament if government is willing to live up to its obligation.
He said granting of amnesty to prisoners is a constitutional duty and a prerogative of the Presidency and as part of the efforts to decongest the prison, the president can be appealed to through advocacy to grant amnesty to prisoners.
Story By: Nhyira Kwabi
