President John Mahama has granted amnesty to 998 prisoners serving various sentences across the country’s prisons.
The decision, announced in a statement by the Minister for Government Communications, Felix Ofosu, followed recommendations from the Prisons Service Council and was taken in consultation with the Council of State, in line with Article 72(1) of the 1992 Constitution.
Out of a total of 1,014 inmates recommended for consideration, 998 were granted amnesty. The statement further noted that 87 prisoners on death row will have their sentences commuted to life imprisonment, while 51 others serving life sentences will now serve 20 years.
The gesture forms part of efforts to decongest the country’s prisons and offer reformation opportunities to deserving inmates.
It will be recalled that in July, the country’s Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mubarak, announced that inmates across Ghana’s prisons will play a significant role in supporting national education and gender equity initiatives by producing essential school supplies.
He revealed that the Ghana Prisons Service will be responsible for producing up to 20 per cent of sanitary pads distributed under the Free Sanitary Pad Distribution Programme, a key initiative launched by President Mahama earlier this year.
The initiative aimed to reduce costs, support self-reliance in public service delivery, and offer inmates productive work that aids their reintegration into society after incarceration.
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