Africa-Press – Ghana. The Director General of Prisons, Mrs. Patience Baffoe-Bonnie (Esq.) has paid a courtesy call on the Acting Chief Justice, Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, at the Supreme Court premises.
The visit, which took place at the Chief Justice’s Chambers, was aimed at creating possible collaborations and†̄ discussions on some operational gaps between the Ghana Prisons Service and the Judiciary, two critical pillars of the nation’s criminal justice system.
Mrs. Baffoe-Bonnie briefed the Acting Chief Justice on the strategic reforms and forward-looking initiatives being implemented across prison facilities nationwide.
The discussion also covered the concern for remand inmates spending more years in prison and the improvement of Electronic Case Management to monitor the status of cases of inmates.†̄
She also spoke about the need to have a Parole discussion board that would comprise the judiciary, Police and prison services to make the system work efficiently.
She raised the concern of pregnancy tests conducted on female inmates before they were sentenced to prison custody.
“The synergy between the Judiciary and the Prisons Service is essential for the effective administration of justice in our country,” Mrs. Baffoe-Bonnie added.
She appealed for joint training to create an enabling platform where information could be shared, inquiries made among the institutions to understand how each other operated.
The Director-General commended female judges for their support to the Nsawam Medium Security Prison every year and humbly requested slots for Prisons Legal Officers at the Judicial Training Institute during Sentencing Programmes.
Justice Baffoe-Bonnie commended the Director-General for her leadership and commitment to prison reforms.
He emphasised the importance of the two institutions to collaborate in the delivery of their duties.
The Acting Chief Justice also highlighted the need for the formation of a Prisons Service Council in every district, where an official of the Judicial Service was a member who would visit the prisons regularly for various concerns of inmates.
The courtesy call reflects the commitment of Ghana’s justice sector leadership to fostering institutional cooperation and improving service delivery to the Ghanaian people.
Such collaborative efforts are expected to contribute significantly to the ongoing transformation of the country’s criminal justice system.
Both leaders reaffirmed their dedication to upholding the rule of law and ensuring that Ghana’s justice system remained responsive to the needs of citizens while maintaining the highest standards of professionalism and integrity.
Present at the meeting were judges from the Supreme, Appeal and High courts and some members of the Prisons Directorate.
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