By: Her Worship Georgette Carmel Lutterodt, Esq., Her Worship Anastacia Yaa Agyeiwaa Karimu, Esq. and Her Worship Dromo Afarley Djarbeng, Esq.Introduction For many years, imprisonment has largely been understood as an instrument of punishment. The offender commits an offence, is convicted and is sent to prison to serve a prescribed sentence. However, modern correctional policy increasingly recognises that … Continue reading Rehabilitation of Offenders: Lessons from International Practice for Ghana
Author: Guest Contributor
Beyond Community Service: Ghana’s Need For A Comprehensive Non-Custodial Sentencing Framework
By: Tracy Abena Serwaa Frimpong Abstract Ghana’s criminal justice framework has long been characterised by imprisonments even for misdemeanours and minor offences. But recently, the Parliament of Ghana has taken a major step through the passage of the Community Service Bill 2026 to introduce community service as an alternative to imprisonment for minor offences. However, … Continue reading Beyond Community Service: Ghana’s Need For A Comprehensive Non-Custodial Sentencing Framework
The Rehabilitation of Young Offenders Under Ghana’s Juvenile Justice System: A Grey Area in the Law
By: Her Worship Georgette Carmel Lutterodt, Esq., Her Worship Anastacia Yaa Agyeiwaa Karimu, Esq. and Her Worship Dromo Afarley Djarbeng, Esq. The Juvenile Justice Act, 2003 (Act 653) was enacted to establish a juvenile justice system designed to protect the rights of juveniles, provide an appropriate and individualised response to juvenile offending, and make provision for the treatment of young … Continue reading The Rehabilitation of Young Offenders Under Ghana’s Juvenile Justice System: A Grey Area in the Law
Penal Reform in Ghana: How the Supreme Court Paved the Way for Community Sentencing
By: Her Worship Georgette Carmel Lutterodt, Esq., Her Worship Anastacia Yaa Agyeiwaa Karimu, Esq. and Her Worship Dromo Afarley Djarbeng, Esq. For many years, Ghana's criminal justice system has relied heavily on custodial sentences, even for offences that could be addressed through alternative forms of punishment. This overreliance on imprisonment has contributed to overcrowded prisons, increased public expenditure, … Continue reading Penal Reform in Ghana: How the Supreme Court Paved the Way for Community Sentencing
Theories of Punishment and their Place in Ghana’s Criminal Justice System
By: Her Worship Georgette Carmel Lutterodt, Esq., Her Worship Anastacia Yaa Agyeiwaa Karimu, Esq. and Her Worship Dromo Afarley Djarbeng, Esq. INTRODUCTION Punishment has always occupied a central place in every criminal justice system. It is the means by which society responds to criminal conduct, condemns unlawful behaviour, protects the public, and seeks to preserve law and order. … Continue reading Theories of Punishment and their Place in Ghana’s Criminal Justice System
When an Accused Refuses to Plead: Legal Framework and Judicial Response
By: Samuela Amma Boakye-Appiah, Esq. Taking the plea of an accused person is a very important aspect of criminal procedure in Ghana. It can be likened to the effect of a defendant in a civil matter entering appearance to the matter. Even though in civil procedure failing to enter an appearance can lead to a … Continue reading When an Accused Refuses to Plead: Legal Framework and Judicial Response
The Community Service Bill, 2026: Learning from Experience, Avoiding Excess
By: Her Worship Georgette Carmel Lutterodt, Esq., Her Worship Anastacia Yaa Agyeiwaa Karimu, Esq. and Her Worship Dromo Afarley Djarbeng, Esq. Ghana’s criminal justice system is undergoing a necessary and long-overdue shift. The Community Service Bill, 2026, currently before Parliament, reflects a growing consensus—one that has been echoed in prior discussions and scholarship—that imprisonment should not … Continue reading The Community Service Bill, 2026: Learning from Experience, Avoiding Excess
Enhanced Punishment in Sentencing
By: Rita Ofosua Appiah, Esq. What is an enhanced sentence? For every criminal offence, there is an offence creating section and a punishment section. Without these two, an action cannot be considered a crime. While the offence creating section declares an act or omission to be a crime, the punishment section determines the penalty or … Continue reading Enhanced Punishment in Sentencing
Community Service Regimes in Selected Common Law Jurisdictions
By: Her Worship Georgette Carmel Lutterodt, Esq., Her Worship Anastacia Yaa Agyeiwaa Karimu, Esq. and Her Worship Dromo Afarley Djarbeng, Esq. This article follows an earlier discussion on the interpretive tension between sections 296 and 297 of the Criminal and Other Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29), which revealed a significant doctrinal gap in Ghanaian sentencing … Continue reading Community Service Regimes in Selected Common Law Jurisdictions
Sentencing in the Ghanaian Criminal Justice System: Reconciling Sections 296 and 297 of Act 30 with the Criminal Offences Act
By: Her Worship Georgette Carmel Lutterodt, Esq., Her Worship Anastacia Yaa Agyeiwaa Karimu, Esq. and Her Worship Dromo Afarley Djarbeng, Esq. The Principle of Legality in Ghanaian Criminal Law A foundational principle of Ghana’s criminal jurisprudence is the doctrine of legality: nullum crimen, nulla poena sine lege. Simply put, no person may be convicted of a … Continue reading Sentencing in the Ghanaian Criminal Justice System: Reconciling Sections 296 and 297 of Act 30 with the Criminal Offences Act
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