COURT IN KSI PRISONS

The Chief Justice, Justice Sophia Akuffo has inaugurated a Pre-fabricated High Court at the Kumasi Central Prisons. The fully furnished court was sponsored by the Danish Government through the Danish International Development Agency, DANIDA.

 Justice Sophia Akuffo explained that the project is to increase the Prisoners’ access to justice by reducing cost and time of frequenting the traditional courts. It is also to help cases of remand prisoners to be disposed of expeditiously towards decongesting the prisons while improving the Justice for all Programme.  

Justice Sophia Akuffo appealed to Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies to also help provide similar adjudication facilities inside prisons in their respective Municipalities and District to improve justice delivery. The Chief Justice also reminded the Judicial Service Staff of their duty to uphold human rights.

 The Danish Ambassador to Ghana, Tove Degnbol noted that the Justice for All Programme has provided   institutional support to the Judicial Service to ensure that access to justice is brought to the door steps of the vulnerable groups in Ghana, such as remand prisoners. Madam Degnbol disclosed that since the start of the programme in 2007, the population more than four thousand remand prisoners constituting about 31 percent of total prisoner population in the country has reduced to about 12 percent in 2018. 

The Director General of the Ghana Prisons Service, Patrick Darko Missah, said a lot of measures are being put in place to curb congestion in the prisons. To this end, the Prisons Service will continue to cooperate with the Judicial Service that the court deliver its service for which it was set up. Mr. Darko Missah hoped the programme will be extended to other parts of the country such as the Ankaful and Sunyani Prisons.