{"id":227758,"date":"2016-07-04T06:58:02","date_gmt":"2016-07-04T06:58:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?p=227758"},"modified":"2016-07-04T06:58:02","modified_gmt":"2016-07-04T06:58:02","slug":"mahama-frees-896-prisoners","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?p=227758","title":{"rendered":"Mahama frees 896 prisoners"},"content":{"rendered":"

President John Dramani Mahama has granted amnesty to 896 prisoners.<\/p>\n

A statement from the Presidency said \u201cPresident John Dramani Mahama has, in commemoration of the 56th Republican Anniversary of the Republic of Ghana, granted amnesty to a total of eight hundred and ninety-six (896) prisoners.\u201d<\/p>\n

The freed prisoners are in the following categories:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. First Offenders – 813<\/li>\n
  2. Seriously ill – 16<\/li>\n
  3. Aged 70 years and above – 63<\/li>\n
  4. Special Case (Double Amputee) – 1<\/li>\n
  5. Death row commuted to Life Imprisonment \u2013 3<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    900 prisoners freed in 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n

    President Mahama in 2015 freed 900<\/strong><\/a><\/span> prisoners.<\/p>\n

    \"Overcrowding
    Overcrowding is commonplace in Ghanaian prisons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Chairman of the Prisons Council, Pastor Stephen Wengam had said the move brings a sigh of relief to the prison service, in their quest to decongest the prisons adding that\u00a0 \u201c900 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

    –<\/p>\n

    By: Godwin A. Allotey\/citifmonline.com\/Ghana
    \n    Follow @AlloteyGodwin<\/a>
    \n