Judge expresses dismay about non-reformative nature of prisons

Cape Coast, July 19, GNA - A Circuit Court Judge in Cape Coast, Mr Mustapha Logoh, on Monday noted that prisons, which were supposed to help convicts reform, now leave them "worse off than before". He said as a result, custodial sentence for first offenders, had "become dangerous", since they come out as hardened criminals after serving their terms.

Mr Logoh, who expressed these concerns, when passing sentence on Kweku Awotwe, a 19 year-old fisherman for stealing a mobile phone, gave Awotwe the option of paying a fine of one million cedis or nine months in prison.

Chief Inspector Augustine Amonoo, had earlier, told the court that Awotwe stole the mobile phone from a fishmonger at Elmina last Friday and was arrested. 19 July 05