The African Women Lawyers Association (AWLA) is advocating for extension of the Justice for all program to cover prisons in upper east and upper west regions of Ghana.
The program, according to Edna Kuma, Executive Director of AWLA, when reached out to prison inmates in the two regions will make the objective of the JFA complete and achievable.
Speaking to section of journalists at the Akuse local prisons after four inmates were discharged unconditionally, while twenty four granted bail, Edna Kuma says AWLA is tracking the success of the justice for all program to make informed decisions on how the association can liaise with remand prisoners on their plights and offer legal services through NGO’S and the judiciary.
‘’Our aim is to talk to the prisoners, track their cases, do a toll free system where relatives or guardians of remand prisoners can call the lines so that we can liaise with NGO’S and the judiciary to handle their cases for them because i know the program hasn’t gone to all the regions yet,I know upper east and upper west are not part of it so we want to reach out to all those places and see how to help,’’ she explained.
As part of its advocacy program, AWLA is also championing for women remand prisoners to be given equal attention as their male counterparts in the Justice For All program.
Edna Kuma expressed surprised that the program seem to only concentrate on male prison inmates.
She told journalists one of the objective is to keep abreast with why remand prisoners would want to return to prison by going back to commit similar or same crimes after being set free.
