Stealing, most common offence by prisoners

Accra Sept. 24, GNA - Stealing continues to be the most committed offence that led Ghanaians to prison, the 2008 Ghana Prisons Service Annual Report has said.

Other offences captured by the report include murder, manslaughter, rape, defilement, robbery, stealing, possessing narcotic drugs, threatening and causing damage. Prisoners are also serving time for causing harm, assault, fraud, contempt of court, conspiracy, unlawful entry, dishonestly receiving, driving offences, indecent assault and escaping from lawful custody. In a regional distribution, the report said 4,263 prisoners were serving time for stealing with Ashanti and Eastern Region regions recording 1,518 and 967 offences respectively. The report said 1,600 inmates were in prison for other offences. In the report, 508 inmates are being held for robbery while 462 inmates are being held for possessing narcotic drugs.

Inmates numbering 445 are being held for defilement, 412 for conspiracy, 339 for fraud and 330 for unlawful entry. According to the report, 276 were jailed for assault, 273 for causing harm, 174 for driving offences, 110 for abetment of crime, 142 for threatening and 133 for causing damage and 131 for murder. It said 179 inmates are being held for rape, 25 for illegal possession of firearms and 16 for escaping from lawful custody, 11 for manslaughter and 11 for indecent assault. 24 Sept .09