Wetin be di new community service law wey go deal wit minor crimes for Ghana?
Wia dis foto come from, GHANA PRISONS SERVICE/FACEBOOK
Ghana don pass law wey go punish pipo to do community work instead of say dem go enta prison.
For dis law, pipo wey commit petty crimes like assault, traffic offence, publication of false news, petty theft, public nuisance, unlawful assembly among odas, go work for di community.
For dis new 'Community Service Law', any misdemeanour wey get jail term of up to three years, go make di offenders work for di society for up to six months.
President John Mahama sign di bill to become law for 26 August, wen im tok say "di non-custodial sentences go save di taxpayer money wey dem suppose use to cater for di convicts for prison for years".
"Dis pipo fit do community work for di period di court go decide for dem wen dem commit minor offences or for petty stealing."
But dis no be di only bill di president bin sign to become law.
Wia dis foto come from, GHANA PRESIDENCY
Oda bills President Mahama also sign:
- Ghana Cocoa Board Act, 2026 – Dis law dey provide say cocoa farmers go get at least 70% of di world market price for cocoa beans wey go also ensure say di kontri process at least 50% of cocoa beans.
- Income Tax (Amendment) Act, 2026 – Dis law go comot tax from pipo wey dey earn below di minimum wage to help evriday workers
- Value Added Tax (Amendment) Act, 2026 – Dis law dey provide adjustment to di kontri domestic tax structure.
- Customs Act, 2026 – Dis law dey put all customs laws for one single law to promote efficiency and block revenue loss
- Tribunals Act, 2026 – Dis law go strengthen internal judicial structures, wey go give di Chief Justice di power to establish regional tribunals wey go handle some category of cases efficiently.
- Maritime and Related Offences Act, 2026 – Dis law dey create tight provisions to fight crime for di kontri waters
- National Defence University Act, 2026 - Dis law dey establish new military education institution wey get full accreditation - di school go get authority to offer accredited academic and strategic military programmes.
- Energy Sector Levies (Amendment) Act, 2026 – Dis law go stop di abuse of fuel oil exemptions wey maritime vessel operators and factories bin dey exploit. For dis new law, operators gatz pay tax upfront.
- Excise Act, 2026 – Dis law dey adjust duties for products to support domestic revenue. Dis go also block revenue leakage for imported goods like alcohol and cigarettes.
President Mahama say di 10 major laws dey mark ogbonge step to "promote growth, block revenue loopholes, strengthen justice delivery and provide relief for workers and farmers".
Wia dis foto come from, GHANA PRISONS SERVICE/FACEBOOK
Wat next afta dis Community Service Law finally become law?
For dis new law, judges for court fit sentence offenders to work for dia community for not more dan six months.
Di kontri interior Minister Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak explain say dis go "reduce overcrowding for di prisons and promote rehabilitation".
"Offenders go work between four to eight hours per day up to six months; dis don dey apply to offences wey dey punishable by jail terms of three years and below."
Di convict go work for dis areas:
- Any physical work wey dey promote planting of trees and any oda work wey dey protect di environment
- General cleaning for street, parks, gutter and oda public places
- Maintenance work for public school, hospital or any oda institution wey dey provide public service
- Construction and maintenance of public property
- Specialist or professional service for di community wey go benefit di whole community
- Any manual work wey di court go approve
Some pipo bin wonder if dis new law go make am easy for convicts to commit oda crimes afta dem finish dia community work.
Wia dis foto come from, GHANA PRISONS SERVICE/FACEBOOK
But di law dey provide some solutions.
Tok-tok pesin for di Interior Ministry Julius Anthony tok say even bifor di judge go sentence offenders, dem go order wetin dem call 'Social enquiry'.
"Dis social enquiry report go chook eye for di character and di conduct of di convict for society, whether im be repeat offender and even im health status. If di convict get bad report, di court go decide to sentence dem to jail."
Now wey di president don sign di law, di govment go set up secretariat to supervise dis community service law.
"We go set up di community service secretariat wey di president gatz select administrator for di secretariat to implement di law and monitor am," Julius Anthony explain.
Im add say di secretariat go also use oda public agencies across di various districts of di kontri wey go reduce di financial cost if dem go employ fresh pipo to implement dis law.
Many groups wey include di POS Foundation don welcome di new law wey dem tok say go help to "reduce congestion for di prisons and promote reintegration of offenders for di society wey also go prevent low-risk offenders from becoming hard-core criminals when dem enta prison."
Crime Check Foundation boss Ibrahim Oppong Kwarteng tok say dis new law dey welcome.
"Di community service gatz match wit di skills wey di offender bin get instead say dem go see am as manual labour. "
