Passage of Community Service Bill not enough, Ghana must modernise prisons — Martin Kpebu

Private legal practitioner Martin Kpebu has called for the modernisation of Ghana’s prison system following the passage of the Community Service Bill.

Parliament recently passed the Community Service Bill, which is intended to introduce non-custodial sentencing by allowing eligible offenders convicted of minor offences to undertake supervised community service instead of serving prison terms.

Mr. Kpebu said although the passage of the legislation was long overdue and commendable, Ghana must go further by embracing modern technologies and progressive prison policies that protect the rights of offenders and also reduce pressure on correctional facilities.

Speaking on Accra-based TV3’s KeyPoints programme on Saturday, July 11, he noted that advocacy for the legislation had spanned more than a decade with support from lawyers, civil society groups and justice sector stakeholders.

“This bill has been there for more than a decade… It’s long overdue. It’s a good attempt, but let’s modernise our criminal justice system. Let’s modernise it because we are way behind,” said the legal practitioner.

Kpebu proposed the introduction of electronic monitoring devices such as ankle bracelets to enable house arrest for some accused persons and reduce unnecessary detention in overcrowded prisons.

He also advocated conjugal visits for married inmates and other reforms aimed at preserving family ties and improving rehabilitation outcomes.

“We’ve made our prisons colonial, very, very hard… As for our prison system, no, no, no. The least attention. So let’s have a proper debate on how to modernise the system and the laws,” he stated.

The legal practitioner added that even though Ghana has embraced modern technology in many sectors, the country’s correctional system has failed to keep pace with global best practices.

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