By Morkporkpor Anku
Nsawam (E/R), July 25, GNA – A 67-year-old man and a 51-year-old man were released after serving seven and eight years, respectively, at Nsawam Prison with no active prosecution of their cases.
The two were part of 12 prisoners released under the Justice for All Programmme hearings at Nsawam.
The hearings were held for 24 inmates, with 12 discharged, 10 granted bail, and two denied bails.
Two separate hearings were held by Justice Lydia Osei Marfo and Justice Kofi Akuffo, where none of the inmates were referred for psychiatric treatment, and none of the cases were dismissed or struck out.
Data from the Ghana Prison Services’ Records Unit indicates that the total prison population as of May 2024, was 14,647, compared to approved nationwide prison capacity of 10,265.
The total prison population includes 13,057 convicts and 1,590 pre-trial prisoners.
The current data reflects a significant reduction in prisoner overcrowding from 51 per cent in December 2018 to 42.69 in May 2024.
According to the statistics, the decline in pre-trial detention population is quite significant, ranging from 33 per cent in 2007 to 10.86 per cent in 2024.
“We have again, today witnessed the impact of the Justice for All programme, that has brought many vulnerable remand inmates, who as a result of lack of legal representation and other factors could have spent years in prison without trial,” said Justice Afia Serwaa Asare-Botwe, a supervising Judge on the Programme.
She urged investigators to be diligent and not let vulnerable remand inmates languish in prison for months, if not years.
“I also wish to emphasise that by law, only judges and magistrates are authorised to renew and sign warrants for inmates,” she said
Justice Asare-Botwe asked the police and investigators not to present remand warrants to court staff for renewal by officers unless the accused person appears before a Judge.
“Justice for any individual is justice for all citizens,” she added.
Justice Asare-Botwe commended the trial judges for their hard work, and Perfector of Sentiments (POS) Foundation, facilitators of the programme for making free paralegal services to prisoners across the country.
She called on them to collaborate with the Public Defender’s Office of the Legal Aid Authority to look at the inclusion of plea bargaining on behalf of remand inmates.
“I have always said that freedom is invaluable, such that spending even a single day in custody is a profound experience, let alone enduring periods like 11 years, five years, or seven years without trial,” said Mr. Jonathan Osei Owusu, Executive Director, POS Foundation.
“Today, the court has delivered the prisoners’ long-awaited verdicts, bringing them closer to their freedom,” he added.
Mr. Owusu said some of the prisoners were visually emotional after being released, demonstrating the value of freedom.
He said while certain aspects of the system were often criticised, the present instance indicated the justice system’s intervention in addressing backlogs caused by systemic challenges.
Mr Owusu said that the remand population had decreased significantly from 33 per cent during the Justice for All Programme in 2007 to 10.8 per cent.
According to the prison authorities, congestion in prisons persisted, such that the convict population had not decreased steadily.
He said in collaboration with the Ministries of Interior and the Justice and Attorney General, they had successfully drafted a bill, which the respective ministers had submitted to the Cabinet for consideration.
“We urge the Minister of Justice to promptly advance the bill through the Cabinet process, enabling its presentation on the parliamentary floor ideally before October,” he added.
In 2007, the alarming prison overcrowding led to the establishment of the Programme by the then Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Mr. Joe Ghartey, together with Heads of Criminal Justice Institutions, to bring the court to the doorstep of remand prisoners.
GNA