Madina MP proposes bill to replace sentences for minor offences with community service
Francis Xavier Sosu, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Madina, has presented a new proposal in Parliament to amend the Criminal and Other Offences (Procedure) Act, 1960 (Act 30).
This amendment, proposed on December 20th, 2023, suggests incorporating community service and a bond of good behaviour as alternatives to traditional custodial sentences and fines for minor offences.
Community service, in the scope of criminal justice, implies an alternative form of punishment wherein individuals who have committed offences undertake unpaid work or service for the community’s benefit.
This could involve activities like cleaning public spaces, participating in environmental projects, working in community centers, assisting with social services, or engaging in other endeavours that contribute positively to the community.
A bond of good behaviour on the other hand refers to a court-imposed condition placed on individuals involved in criminal activities.
Commonly used in a sentence, this condition ensures that the individual behaves lawfully and responsibly for a specified period.
In his statement regarding the Act’s amendment, the MP highlighted that the inclusion of community service or the bond of good behaviour would enable offenders to invest their time and efforts in community-oriented projects or organizations.
“In the first place, this proposal provides an alternative to Custodial Sentence and Fines: Community service and Bond of Good behaviour serve as an alternative to traditional forms of punishment, such as imprisonment or payment of fines. It allows offenders to remain in the community while still being held accountable for their actions. This also helps to decongest the prisons. As of December 2023, Ghana’s prison population stands at 13,200 despite an authorized capacity of 9,945 giving an overcrowding rate of 32.65 per cent. An introduction of Community Service would go a long way to resolve this challenge”.
“Again, with the punishment evolving, Restorative Justice is currently the way to go: Community service and Bond of Good behaviour are a perfect example of restorative justice where the community turns to benefit directly from offenders. Through the unpaid services to the community, offenders are allowed to repair the harm they caused to individuals or the community, fostering a sense of responsibility and accountability,” he stated.
It will be recalled that in 2023, the same MP advocated vigorously for the abolishment of capital punishment in the country.
After continuous advocacy, Parliament on July 25, 2023, passed the Criminal Offences Amendment Act 2022, which seeks to replace the death penalty with life imprisonment.
Francis Xavier Sosu commended his colleagues in Parliament for voting to abolish the death penalty.