50 Remand prisoners granted bail under Justice for All in 4 prisons

The Justice for All Programme (JFAP) has granted bail to 50 remand prisoners from four prisons, convicted nine and referred five for psychiatric treatment.

The Court of Appeal and the High Court, sitting in person at prisons in Tamale, Koforidua and Ho, also struck out eight cases, acquitted and discharged three and refused to grant bail to six remand applicants, while prosecution also withdrew charges against five remand prisoners.

The courts also granted bail to 50 remand inmates, one of them self-reconnaissance, bringing the total number of cases heard at the three centres to 87.

The JFAP, initiated in 2007 as part of efforts to decongest prisons and enhance access to justice, was being implemented by the Judicial Service, the Attorney-General's Department, Legal Aid, and other stakeholders.

The programme conducted the in-prison court sittings last Tuesday at the Tamale Central Prison in the Northern Region, Koforidua Local Prison in the Eastern Region, and at the Ho Central Prison yesterday.

Justice of the Court of Appeal, Justice Afia Serwah Asare-Botwe, presided over the sitting in Koforidua, Justice Angelina Mensah-Homiah, presided in the Tamale sitting, while Justices Stephen Kumi and Justice Rosemarie Afua Asante, presided over the two courts, the High Court and the Appeal Court, set up in the Ho Prison, all to review cases of remand prisoners who had served long periods in remand.

Eastern Region

From KOFORIDUA, Haruna Yussif Wunpini reports that the Court of Appeal granted bail to 15 remand prisoners, convicted four and referred two for psychiatric examination.

The court also struck out five cases and refused to grant bail to two remand applicants, while the prosecution also withdrew charges against three remand prisoners.

Thirty-one of the applications heard included murder, armed robbery, rape, defilements and petty theft.

Briefing the media after the hearings, Justice Asare-Botwe, said the Justice for All Programme, initiated in 2007, had played a significant role in the reduction of the prison population.

She added that the in-person hearings at the location also brought justice to the underprivileged, especially remand prisoners, who could not afford to engage counsel to deal with their cases and had therefore been in prison for very long periods.

The cases heard had been pending between five and 11 years without any hearings.

Northern Region

Mohammed Fugu reports from Tamale that a total of 21 remand inmates at the Tamale Central Prison had been granted bail under the programme.

Out of 37 applications reviewed, two inmates were discharged unconditionally, four changed their pleas and were accordingly convicted, three applications were struck out, three inmates were referred for psychiatric treatment, while four bail applications were refused for various reasons.

Addressing the media after the hearing, a Justice of the Court of Appeal, Justice Angelina Mensah-Homiah, said the programme was not only helping to reduce prison congestion but also strengthening public confidence in the justice system.

She cited data from the Ghana Prisons Service indicating that the total inmate population in the country stood at 13,620, made up of 11,875 convicts, representing 87.19 per cent and 1,745 remand prisoners, representing 12.81 per cent.

She pointed out that since its inception in 2007, the Justice for All Programme had made a significant impact by reducing the proportion of remand prisoners from 30.57 per cent to the current 12.81 per cent.

Volta Region

In Ho, the programme was organised for selected remand prisoners at the Ho Central Prison.

Two court sittings were organised, presided over by His Lordship Justice Stephen Kumi and Her Ladyship Justice Rosemarie Afua Asante, for courts One and Two respectively. 

In all, a total of 19 inmates were heard.

The outcome of the court sitting was as follows: Three remand prisoners were acquitted and discharged, while a remand prisoner was sentenced to a month’s imprisonment, effective March 4, 2026.

Also, a remand prisoner was granted self-recognisance bail, while the motion for bail of one remand prisoner was dismissed.

The remaining 13 remand prisoners were granted bail with varied conditions.