Introduce Communal Service In Ghana’s Criminal Justice System—Former Magistrate

Mavis Kwainoe, ACILA Board Member, fmr. magistrate

ACILA Board Member and former magistrate, Mavis Kwainoe is advocating the introduction of communal service into the country‟s criminal justice system as a measure of reforming Ghana‟s criminal justice system and decongesting overcrowded prisons.

She made the call when research and education think tank, Africa Center for International Law and Accountability (ACILA) and US-based Third Dimension Institute – both non-profits and nongovernmental organisations, donated a cheque of Ghc10, 137.50 (about $2,300) to the Senior Correctional Centre of the Ghana Prisons Service in Accra to assist 45 inmates register for this year‟s National Vocational Training Institute (NVTI) examinations.

I recommend the introduction of communal service which we don‟t have in our statutes and criminal justice system. We should have non-custodial sentences for those convicted to do communal service. They could weed around areas that need to be cleared, they could also be sent to hospitals to do painting for free” etc., she noted.

Rev. Richard Gyasi Kwaa, National Director of Third Dimension Institute, William Nyarko, Executive Director of ACILA, and Kwainoe presented the cheque and an exam success card to the Deputy Director of Prisons for Greater Accra and Officer-in-Charge of the centre, Mr. Chris Larvie.
Kwainoe, who is a Lecturer of Law at the Faculty of Law, University of Professional Studies (UPSA) and a Thomas Buergenthal Scholar, added that offences such as misdemeanours must attract only fines. This, the former magistrate noted, is one of the measures to decongest the prisons.

“When it comes to less serious offences, like petty stealing, simple assault and battery, I expect that at least the statute will allow only fines on the accused persons or at least for them to sign a bond of good behaviour. The prisons are already choked with serious offenders”, she added.

Commenting on the donation by ACILA and Third Dimension Institute aimed at reducing recidivism and helping to reintegrate ex-inmates back into society, she explained that one of the areas that Ghana has failed as a country is the lack of support for re-integration of ex-inmates into the society, adding that re-integration is very crucial because it could be one of the ways to prevent recidivism.

It is as a result of this that the Board Member of ACILA is advocating extensive funding and support system for the smooth re-integration of ex-inmates into the society.
“For instance, when somebody learns a vocation or any trade in the prisons, when they are coming out, they could be given some tools so they can use to start life. That support system
could also be where they have generated funds internally. They can use the funds to buy sewing machines etc so that when the person is coming out, at least it can be a wonderful farewell”, she added.

ACILA Executive Director William Nyarko

ACILA in May 2017 established in a research that the key reasons for recidivism include lack of a support system for ex-inmates when they return home. In addition, the ex-inmates lack the knowledge and skills they need to enable them to re-integrate into the society. Facing these challenges, nearly a quarter of them relapse into committing crime and going back to prison, the study noted.

It is as a result of contributing to addressing these challenges that ACILA and Third Dimension Institute are undertaking a project aimed at reducing the rate of recidivism, providing ex-inmates with the knowledge and skills they need to re-integrate into society, providing a support system for inmates, and providing legal aid for the indigent.
https://www.modernghana.com/news/795332/introduce-communal-service-in-ghanas-criminal-justice-syste.html