Management of Crime Check Foundation (CCF), a Prison NGO through its Petty Offenders Project has paid court fines for nine inmates of the Sekondi Central Prison.
The gesture was made possible with financial support from one Alfred Priddy, a philanthropist, living in the US.
The inmates were sentenced to fines ranging from 300 to 900 Ghana cedis. In default, they had to serve between five (5) and fifteen (15) months.
Mr. Ibrahim Oppong Kwarteng, Executive Director of CCF, told crimecheckghana that more needs to be done in the Criminal Justice System to address the needs of the poor. He said, “much as crime is crime, the speed at which poor petty offenders are dispatched to prison is worrying. We hope those in responsible positions, who loot State coffers will be dispatched to Prison with the same zeal without entertaining the legal hurdles they usually put in the way of their conviction,” he added.
Mr. Kwarteng, who is also the Ambassador Extraordinaire of Ghana Prisons, said some inmates stole fowl, while others stole coconut and tubers of yam among others. He said much as offenders of the law should not be hailed, they could serve the country better by desilting choked gutters and cleaning the streets.
“They can be engaged in the planting for food and jobs programme instead of giving each of them harsh jail terms”.
