STAR-Ghana has been awarded for its contribution of funding, partnership and commitment towards the Justice for All Programme (JFAP) and the Reformation of the Criminal Justice System in Ghana. This was at an awards dinner in Accra organised by the Judicial Service of Ghana, in collaboration with the POS Foundation and DANIDA to mark the 10th anniversary of the JFAP. The event was held on the theme: “JFAP: A unique model for fair trial and prisoners decongestion — Achievements, challenges and prospects” In attendance were H.E. Akuffo Addo and Justice Sophia Akuffo, President and Chief Justice of the republic of Ghana.
The JFAP seeks to alleviate prison overcrowding by setting up special courts to adjudicate remand prisoner cases in prisons throughout the country with the support of the Judiciary, the Office of the Attorney-General, the Ghana Prison Service, and the Ghana Bar Association. As of the time of its inception in 2007, about one-third of Ghana’s prison population consisted of prisoners who were detained while awaiting trial.
The 2007 Prisons Service Annual Report states 13,335 prisoners were held in prisons designed to hold approximately one-third of that number. It is common for as many as fifty-five inmates to share a cell intended for twelve. Overcrowding contributes to the prevalence of communicable diseases. This is compounded by inadequate medical facilities and the fact that the prisons supply only the most basic medicines. To heighten the issue of overcrowded prisons, lengthy pretrial detention remains a serious problem in Ghana.
STAR-Ghana Support to JFAP
In 2014, STAR-Ghana provided grants and technical support to POS Foundation and the GIMPA Law School Centre - for Law and Development Policy to implement the “Ghana’s Criminal Justice System and the Problem of Remand Prisoners: Solutions and Interventions” project. The purpose of the project was to achieve a significant reduction in the overall number of remand prisoners in Ghana and contribute to the development of policy and legislative interventions which sought to address issues relating to remand prisoners and the promotion of non-custodial sentencing.
Success of the Justice for All Programme (JFAP) since its inception
Since the introduction of JFAP, there has been a significant reduction in the Remand Population from 4,285 (33%) of a total prison population of 13,133 in 2007 to 1,473 representing 12 % of the current prison population of 13,700 as of December 26, 2017. The Republic of Ghana received several commendations by Member States of the United Nations on the Justice for All Programme during the 3rd cycle of Ghana’s UN Universal Periodic Review held in November 2017, with Kenya adopting and currently implementing a version of the model in their country under the name ‘All For Justice’
About POS Foundation
The POS Foundation is a Human Rights Civil Society Organization which focuses its activities in the areas of Human Rights Advocacy and Development, Policy Reforms, Youth Development and Social Accountability. POS Foundation is one of the leading Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) championing justice reforms and access to justice, and advocacy for the right to information. POS Foundation is the convener for civil society platform on the UN Universal Periodic Review in Ghana and Drug Policy reforms. The foundation currently serves as the secretariat for the Ghana Human Rights NGOs Forum with its executive director Mr. Jonathan Osei Owusu as the vice-chairman of the forum. Under its access to justice campaign, the POS Foundation has successfully facilitated the justice for all programme since 2014.