President John Dramani Mahama has granted 900 prisoners amnesty.
The move forms part of activities to mark the Republic Day on July 1, 2015.
Chairman of the Prisons Council, Pastor Stephen Wengam who confirmed this to citifmonline.com said the amnesty will take effect on the said date.
[contextly_sidebar id=”LbX5IHt3FPbT6Dq56605ub3GupTmTRrA”]He said the move brings a sigh of relief to the prison service, in their quest to decongest the prisons adding that “900 is a big number and it will go a long way in helping us to categorize and classify the rest of the prisoners per the UN standard.”
Pastor Wengam added that President John Dramani Mahama and the Chief Justice, Georgina Theodora Wood will also tour some prisons on July 3, to ascertain their current state.
Article 72(1) of the constitution indicates that the President may in consultation with the Council of State grant a person convicted of an offence a pardon either free or subject to lawful conditions.
The 900 freed prisoners include 883 first offenders of good behaviour who have served either half or more of their sentences, an elderly prisoner and one other prisoner who is very ill.
The President has asked the prisoners to conduct themselves well as they return to society and avoid breaching the law the again.
He also urged Ghanaians and families of beneficiaries to reintegrate the pardoned prisoners into society.
The Chairman of the Prisons Council, Pastor Stephen Wengam had earlier said the various prisons are likely to start rejecting convicted persons because the facilities are almost full.
The situation, according to him, could adversely affect Ghana’s reformation and rehabilitation system if measures are not taken to address it.
Ghana has 43 prison facilities and according to a 2014 report, 28 are said to be overcrowded by as much as 358%.
–
By: Marian Efe Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @EfeAnsah