By Regina Benneh
Sunyani, Aug 30, GNA – The passage of the Community Service Bill currently at the Attorney General’s Department into law will help in decongesting the country’s prisons.
Deputy Superintendent of Prisons (DSP) Dennis Peasah, the Bono Regional Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Ghana Prison Service (GPS) made the call in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Sunyani.
He said the Bill if passed into law would ensure minor offenders would be sentenced to do unpaid works within their communities instead of being incarcerated and taken care of with the taxpayers’ money.
DSP Peasah added that form of sentence would also contribute to community development because whatever kind of work assigned to such convicts could be part of social services necessary for the communities’ progress.
He therefore considered it a waste of public funds if a convict was given three years custodial sentence for stealing a bunch of plantain, citing an interaction with an inmate had confirmed that.
DSP Peasah however, described the situation as a gap in the law because the nation’s existing laws now did not make provision for adequate alternative sentences, hence the sentencing of minor offenders to incarceration, he added.
DSP Peasah stated most of the prisons were overcrowded, saying that the Sunyani Central Prisons built in 1962 with an authorized capacity of 450 male inmates presently has 932 consisting of 727 convicts and 205 remands prisoners with ages that ranged from 18 to 78.
He said 14 female prisoners were also in custody in the Sunyani Female Prison which is in a different yard.
DSP Peasah mentioned most committed offences by the inmates were stealing, armed robbery, fraud, possession of narcotics, rape, defilement, and murder.
He explained based on the offenses of the inmates in relation to the total figure at the male prison yard were stealing, 227, representing 25 per cent, armed robbery, 124, signifying 13 per cent, murder, 108, indicating 11 per cent and defilement 92, forming 10 per cent.
He advised the youth to stay away from bad companionships because it could lead to involvement in crime and consequently imprisonment.
GNA