Equity Edge Legal, a legal advocacy group made up of law students from the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA), has paid court fines to secure the release of three young inmates while renewing calls on parliament to reintroduce and pass the Community Service Bill.
The intervention, carried out in collaboration with the DOYA Foundation, led to the release of two inmates who had been jailed for stealing cocoa beans and another who was convicted for breaking into a dormitory with friends to steal seven students’ trunks at Asuom Senior High School.
The three had each been serving 18-month jail terms which began late last year, largely due to their inability to pay fines imposed by the court.
Speaking after the exercise, Law Lecturer at UPSA and Lead for Equity Edge Legal, John Baptist Ayedze Esq., described the situation as a clear example of why Ghana needs alternative sentencing for minor offences.
He explained that many inmates in the country’s prisons are there for petty crimes and are often exposed to hardened criminals, a situation that worsens rather than reforms their behaviour.
“I fully support that call for the Community Service bill to be passed as soon as possible. Some of us, we’ve gone through prisons and if you’ve gone through prisons and look at their prison conditions, you see that there’s a need. And for some of them, they come here just based on petty offences, and by the time they go back, now they commit more bigger offences because of the interaction with hardened criminal, it doesn’t help” said John Baptist Ayedze Esq.
Baptist Ayedze Esq reiterated his strong support for the Community Service Bill, which seeks to amend the Criminal and Other Offences (Procedure) Act, 1960, to introduce community service as an alternative punishment for misdemeanours.
Although the private member’s bill was laid before the 9th Parliament of the Fourth Republic, it could not be passed before Parliament rose.
“Every developed country has such a system, and it helps both offenders and society. I pray that when Parliament resumes, this bill will be given priority, passed early, and enforced to help decongest our prisons and benefit all of us,” he added.
Ezekiel Korletey, Public Relations Officer of the Koforidua Prisons, praised Equity Edge Legal for its timely intervention and encouraged other organisations to support inmates jailed for minor offences simply because they cannot afford to pay fines.
He also appealed to benevolent organisations and individuals to support the renovation of the prison facility, particularly the roof, which he said leaks badly whenever it rains.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh
