Kumasi illegally holds 116 in custody

Though the warrants of 116 remand prisoners in the Kumasi Central Prisons have expired, they remain in prison custody. Mr. Stephen Kofi Sondem, acting Ashanti Regional Director of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), made this known at a press briefing in Kumasi.

He said the situation is posing a serious problem of over-crowding and inadequate services in the Prison, which at present has a total of 961 inmates out of which 364 are remand prisoners.

“A cursory look at some of the offences allegedly committed by the remand prisoners and the periods it has taken law enforcement agencies to handle their cases indicate the degree to which their rights have been abused,” he said.

Mr. Sondem said inspection conducted by his outfits at the Manhyia and Obuasi Prisons showed that both prisons, built and designed to accommodate 100 prisoners, have 153 and 219 inmates respectively.

On what has caused such a problem, he said it is the responsibility of police investigators to send remand prisoners to the courts and the tribunals for trial but due, sometimes, to the unprofessional attitude of some law enforcement agencies and personnel, they neglect their duty.

“Some investigators are transferred from their stations and the dockets are locked up somewhere; or the prosecutor or the investigator might die before the end of the trial,” he said.

According to him, accused persons must normally not be remanded for more than two weeks but some remand prisoners have been in prison for two to five years.”

Mr. Sondem said in addition to the remand prisoners, some suspects are unable to fulfil their bail conditions, adding that about 107 such suspects granted bail since 1989 are still in prison.

He observed that a major problem with the tribunal system is the demand for the use of land leases for surety and pointed out that about one third of houses in the Kumasi metropolis do not have leases so suspects could be kept indefinitely in prison.

Mr. Sondem called for a review of the penal code and suggested that suspended sentences should be imposed on nursing mothers in particular. He appealed to the courts and the tribunals to impose more fines rather than custodial sentences on accused persons to avoid congestion and pressure on prison officers. This will save the resources used for maintaining the inmates