Government urged to speed up passage of Community Service Sentencing Bill to decongest prisons

The government has been urged to speed up the passage of Community Service Sentencing Bill into law to help decongest the country's prisons.

Ambrose Edwin Nsarkoh, a Youth Leader in Obuasi, who made the call, said the passage of the bill would help decongest Ghana’s prisons and cut down on government's expenditure.

He was speaking after donating bags of rice, detergents, bottles of water, tinned tomatoes, and slippers among others, to the Obuasi Local Prisons at a brief ceremony in Obuasi.

He bemoaned the perennial overcrowding in prisons and inhumane conditions in which inmates lived and stressed the need for urgent steps to decongest the prisons to bring some dignity to the prisons.

“Ensuring alternative sentencing regime such as the community service especially for petty offenders, is the way to go as a country to address the problem,” he said.

As an annual ritual, Mr Nsarkoh also donated hampers and food items to the aged, widows and the Abduallam Children's Home to show love to the vulnerable during the festive season.

He said it was important as Ghanaians to show compassion to the needy in society by putting smiles on their faces.

Superintendent Esther Nunoo who received the items on behalf of the Obuasi Local Prisons lauded Mr. Nsarkoh for the donation and appealed to other well-meaning Ghanaians to support the facility.

She said such donations from benevolent organisations and individuals complemented the feeding grants for the inmates which was woefully inadequate.

She added that overcrowding had been a major challenge to them especially during the Christmas break where the courts were on vacation.

James Sundia, Executive Director of Abdullam Children's home joined other recipients of the donation to thank Mr. Nsarkoh for the kind gesture.

“He is one of us here at the Orphanage as he has always been here with us throughout the years to support the children,” he touted his benevolence.