Crime Check Foundation (CCF) a non-governmental organization has launched a project to reintegrate ex-convicts into the society.
Speaking at the launch, the Executive Director of CCF, Mr. Ibrahim Oppong Kwarteng said, the project seeks to set-up ex-convicts in any business of their choice after they have left the prisons.
Mr. Kwarteng said, the project has been necessitated because of the intense level of stigmatization ex-convicts face in the country. “This initiative has become necessary because of the huge gap between exiting the prison and finding work for ex-convicts to do, no one seems to have filled this gap because no one cares” he said.
According to him, the lackadaisical attitude of parliament to pass the non-custodial sentencing bill into law is mind-boggling. “Parliament does not appear to see the passage of the bill a priority because with the law in place, people who commit petty offences will be made to serve on the community by cleaning the gutters and possibly engage in planting for food and jobs” he said.
Stressing on the need for the passage of the bill, Mr. Kwarteng said, people easily forget that not all who are sent to prison are actual offenders, some are sent there because they failed to argue their case out in court well, others because they do not have money to pay their finds.
“People easily tend to forget that not all of them may have committed crime, some are thrown in there because of the shoddy work of the Police and abuse of discretion by some judges” he added.
Mr. Oppong Kwarteng pleaded with government and other benevolent individuals to also come on board to sustain this initiative.
Christian Atsu, the Blackstars and Newcastle midfielder, who is the single largest donor to the project pleaded with the Criminal and Investigative Department of the Ghana Police Service to do their job with due diligence.
According to him, a shoddy work by a Police CID can place a halt or an end to the life of an individual which may have ripple effect on their families.He also pleaded with the government to pass into law the non-custodial sentencing bill.
“I will tell the government of Ghana that, the more they delay, the more people die in our various prisons”.
Christian Atsu showing his commitment to the project donated 5,000 pounds to further reintegrate ex-convicts.
