He is reported to have said that overcrowding in various prisons can be traced back to the imprisonment of young people for minor offenses that should attract noncustodial sentences.
“Some youths are serving various terms of imprisonment in prison facilities in the area because they cannot settle court fines of up to GHC250, a situation that has created congestion in some facilities,” The news website quoted him as saying.
ASP Richard Bukari disclosed that the Kumasi Central Prison which was originally built to accommodate 450 inmates now has over 3,000 inmates, a situation he said is not good for the service and also poses a health hazard to the inmates.
He appealed to philanthropists, Human Rights advocacy and other well-intentioned organizations to help pay the small court fines of some of the inmates so that they can regain their freedom and also help reduce the number of prisons.
“I will then appeal to individuals and organizations to help the Prison Service by paying the fines of these prisoners so that those who are serving longer prison sentences have room,” ASP-Richard Bukari
Overcrowding in Ghana’s prisons is an age-old situation that has not been addressed by successive governments.
The Pentecostal Church, as part of its contribution to society, has built several ultramodern prison facilities in certain parts of the country, with some of the construction still underway, in a bid to ease congestion in rehabilitation facilities.
In addition, some human rights advocacy groups, and philanthropists have done their part to secure the release of some inmates who should not have been in prison for less serious offenses.
There are also calls for the country’s justice system to implement measures to ensure that only serious offenders are imprisoned while minors are given non-custodial sentences.