E/R: Chief advocates for environmental cleanup instead of jail for minor offenses

Gyaasehene of New Juaben Traditional Area, Nana Twumasi Darkwa, has urged President Akufo Addo to reconsider the sentencing of minor offenses.

He proposed that instead of incarceration, individuals guilty of minor offenses should be tasked with cleaning the environment, aligning with the government’s Clean Ghana Campaign.

Speaking on behalf of the Paramount Chief, Nana Kwaku Boateng III, during the inauguration of newly elected assembly members of New Juaben South Municipality, Nana Twumasi Darkwa highlighted the issue of overcrowding in Koforidua prisons and emphasized the need for alternative sentencing methods.

Nana Twumasi Darkwa pointed out the disparity in punishment, noting that while politicians who embezzle public funds often go unpunished, individuals charged with minor offenses face imprisonment.

He stressed the importance of redirecting efforts towards addressing environmental challenges and ensuring fairness in the justice system.

Additionally, Nana Twumasi Darkwa urged the newly elected assembly members to prioritize development over partisan politics, emphasizing the importance of collaboration in driving progress at the district level.

Meanwhile Ghana is in the process of passing non-custodian sentencing bill.

Speaking at a Validation Workshop on the final draft of the Community Service Bill in Accra, the Director of Finance and Administration of the Ministry of the Interior, Mrs Doreen Annan disclosed that Ghana will soon introduce Community Sentencing in its jurisprudence to aid legal justice in the country.

According to her, the Bill, when passed into law, will not only strengthen the legal regime of the country but will assist, support, and promote reintegration and resettlement of offenders back into community life as currently reflected by international best practices.

She explained that the term Community Sentence is an alternative punishment to custodial sentencing, where a court convicts an accused person of a minor offence.

The Community Service Bill will see the establishment of the National Community Service Secretariat and its Governing bodies at the National and Local Government levels.