GRi in Court Ghana 02 - 10 - 2000

Remand prisoners with expired warrants still in prison custody

Remand prisoners with expired warrants still in prison custody

Kumasi (Ashanti Region) 2 October 2000

Though the warrants of 116 out of 364 remand prisoners in the Kumasi Central Prisons have expired, they are still being kept in prison custody.

Mr. Stephen Kofi Sondem, Acting Ashanti Regional Director of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), who made this known at a press briefing in Kumasi on Saturday, said the situation was posing serious over-crowding and inadequate service problems for the Prison, which at present has a total 961 inmates.

"A cursory look at some of the offences allegedly committed by these remand prisoners and the periods it has taken law enforcement agencies to handle their cases indicates how much their rights have been abused...."

Mr. Sondem said inspection conducted by his outfit at the Manhyia and Obuasi Prisons showed that both prisons, built and designed to accommodate 100 prisoners, have 153 and 219 inmates respectively.

He said it is the responsibility of police investigators to send remand prisoners to the courts and the tribunals for trial but added that, due sometimes to the unprofessional attitudes of some law enforcement agencies and personnel, they neglect their duties.

"Some investigators are transferred from their stations and the docket is locked up somewhere; the prosecutor or the investigator might die before the end of the trial.

"Normally, accused persons remanded must not exceed two weeks but some remand prisoners have been in prison for two to five years."

Mr. Sondem said in addition to the remand prisoners, some suspects are unable to fulfill their bail conditions, adding that about 107 such suspects granted bail since 1989 are still in prison in addition to the 116.

He observed that a major problem with the tribunal system is the issue of land leases for suspects granted bail, adding that about one-third of the houses in the Kumasi Metropolis do not have leases and suspects could therefore be kept indefinitely in prison.

Mr. Sondem called for a review of the penal code and suggested that suspended sentences be imposed on nursing mothers, especially those weaning babies.

He appealed to the courts and the tribunals to impose more fines than custodial sentences on accused persons to avoid congestion and pressure on prison officers and waste of resources to maintain the inmates.

GRi…/