63% of inmates of Kumasi Central Prison are petty offenders - Authorities

Officer in charge of Reception and Criminal records at the Kumasi Central Prison, Francis Awako, who shared the statistics at a stakeholders roundtable indicated that the data was worrying since it rehashed the issue of prison congestion.

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Officials at the Kumasi Central have stated that 63 per cent of inmates serving 24 months or less, are people who committed petty offences.

Officer in charge of Reception and Criminal records at the Kumasi Central Prison, Francis Awako, who shared the statistics at a stakeholders roundtable indicated that the data was worrying since it rehashed the issue of prison congestion.

He also said most of the issues regarding petty offences could have been easily resolved through Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR).

“The huge numbers of petty offenders being incarcerated is worrying especially when people are for crimes that can easily be resolved through ADR.

When some of these people come and add up to the congestion in the prison, it is very worrying knowing that are resources in taking care of them is limited,” he said.

The roundtable discussion was a meeting by stakeholders to find ways to review the ADR Act and the Legal Aid Commission Act, so petty crimes could be resolved through ADR.  

For some time now, there have been calls for the decriminalisation of petty offences. Notable personalities like Justice Emile Francis Short, a former Commissioner-General of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) has described laws that criminalise petty offences are vague and arbitrary.  

 Member of Parliament for the Madina Constituency, Francis-Xavier Sosu in an article published on myjoyonline on March 8, 2022 argued that the criminalisation of petty offences amount to a violation of 1992 Constitution, the Regional and International Human Rights Standards, and threatens achievement of SDGs.