The Committee on Defence and Interior has emphasised the need for Parliament to expedite the passage of the Community Service Bill, 2026, to alleviate overcrowding in prisons by introducing community service as a non-custodial punishment.
The Chairman of the Committee, Mr James Agalga, and the Ranking Member, Reverend Ntim Fordjour, stressed the importance of ensuring that the Bill does not impose a financial burden on the State.
They made these remarks when the committee engaged officials from the Ministry for the Interior, the Kofi Annan Peacekeeping Training Centre, the Ghana Prisons Service, the Ghana National Fire Service, and the Gaming Commission. The engagement allowed stakeholders to provide input on the Bill, alongside discussions on the Ministry’s 2024 Audit Committee annual report and its agencies.
The Community Service Bill, 2026, which was laid before Parliament last month, seeks to reform the criminal justice system by introducing community service as an alternative to custodial sentences for minor offences punishable by up to three years’ imprisonment.
It also aims to reduce severe prison overcrowding by allowing offenders to undertake community service for between four and eight hours daily over a maximum period of six months.
Speaking at the meeting, Mr Agalga commended the sector Minister, Alhaji Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, for advancing the reform agenda, noting that efforts to introduce community service sentencing had been in development for years.
He said the Bill, if passed, would play a critical role in addressing structural challenges within Ghana’s correctional system while strengthening restorative justice practices.
For his part, Alhaji Mohammed-Mubarak stated that the initiative goes beyond easing overcrowding in prisons and seeks to reshape the philosophy of punishment in Ghana’s justice system.
“The Community Service Bill offers a practical, humane, and cost-effective alternative to imprisonment, promoting rehabilitation and reducing prison overcrowding,” he said.
Additionally, he noted that the proposed law represents a bold reform that would offer courts an alternative sentencing option to imprisonment, particularly for less serious offences.
BY BENJAMIN ARCTON-TETTEY
Follow our WhatsApp Channel now! https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbAjG7g3gvWajUAEX12Q
