‘Help ensure justice for remand prisoners’
A research and advocacy group, Centre for Law and Development Policy (CLDP), has called on civil society organisations and the media to partner the government to implement policies to address problems pertaining to remand prisoners in the country.
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According to the group, the practice of remanding accused persons without trial was the major cause of overcrowding, insanitary and terrible health conditions in the country’s prisons.
Currently, about one-third of the country’s prison population consists of prisoners on remand awaiting trial.
The call was made by the Coordinator of Programmes of the CLDP, Mr Isidore Tuffuor, at a press briefing organised by the group in Accra.
The programme, which was jointly organised by the Perfector of Sentiments Foundation (POS) and funded by STAR Ghana, both nongovernmental organisations, (NGOs), was geared towards sensitising the public to the situation and to brainstorm on measures to address the problem.
Addressing problem
As part of efforts to address the problem, the CLDP in conjunction with the Justice for All Project, has implemented a policy called the Access to Justice Project to provide free legal services to remand prisoners so that they can be released on bail, particularly in the event of unreasonable delays in trials.
It is supported by the efforts of criminal justice institutions such as the Attorney-General’s Department, the Police Service, the Prisons Service, the Legal Aid Board and the Ghana Bar Association.
Access to justice
A High Court Judge, Justice Clemence J. Honyenuga, explained that access to justice was a vital component of the rule of law and talked about efforts being made by the Judicial Service to ensure unhindered access to justice by all.
He said the Chief Justice, Justice Georgina Wood, and the British High Commission in Accra were collaborating to establish a remand court at the Nsawam Prisons to tackle the discrepancies associated with remand prisoners in the country.