The population in Kumasi Central Prison rises to 1,800, tripling its capacity

The Kumasi Central Prison faces a serious problem of overcrowding, with a population of almost 1,800 inmates, far exceeding its target capacity of 600 places.

This overcrowding is not unique to Kumasi, but is common in prisons across the country.

The situation has raised concerns among judges, legal practitioners, prison authorities and various stakeholders due to the violation of the rights of both detainees and pre-trial detainees.

To address this problem, Ghana introduced the Justice for All program in 2008, with the aim of quickly adjudicating cases involving pretrial detainees.

The program established mobile prison courts that provide free legal services to prisoners awaiting trial. While this initiative has helped reduce the number of pre-trial detainees, it has not been sufficient to ensure adequate administration of justice.

Despite efforts to combat overpopulation, problems persist. Judge Sir Dennis Dominic Adjei, a judge at the Court of Appeal and member of the African Court of Human and Peoples’ Rights, highlighted the shortage of lawyers as a major obstacle.

The limited number of legal professionals is struggling to keep up with the growing number of prisoners, exacerbating delays in the delivery of justice.

In light of these challenges, Judge Adjei emphasized the importance of paralegal services in assisting lawyers. Paralegals can provide crucial support with legal processes, help expedite cases and ensure that prisoners receive fair treatment.

However, implementation of paralegal services remains limited, hampering efforts to effectively address the overcrowding problem.

“It is a must that every person charged in a court of law should be represented by a lawyer. The African court has issued several rulings against some countries such as Benin, Ivory Coast and Rwanda. The argument they make is that we don’t have enough lawyers to meet the demands of the defendants. We need to establish legal services in the country to support them. Some people languish in jail because they don’t have lawyers.”

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