College of Humanities & Social Sciences

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Browsing College of Humanities & Social Sciences by Subject "Access to justice"

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    Access to justice and inmates at Kumasi central prison
    (2021-06-14) Akoto, Alexandria A.;
    The study explores how inmates at the Kumasi Central Prison access justice. Purposely, the study seeks to outline the reasons for delay in access to justice for the inmates at the Kumasi prison. To examine the extent to which inmates access justice whiles at the Prison, and identify the various challenges they faced at the prisons. We collect data from a survey administered to 230 respondents from key technical persons and some selected inmates at the Kumasi Central Prisons. The study found out that factors such as few judges and magistrates available to adjudicate the massive backlogs of court cases, and lack of transparency of court document processing and publication of court decisions are the reasons for the delays. The study further found out that majority of the inmates were denied access to legal advice and service, and some of the inmates also expressed total ignorance so far as access to justice. We therefore, conclude that access to justice or legal representation is very difficult in the prison, and that many accused persons go through trial without being represented by a legal practitioner. The researcher therefore recommends a Legal Aid Policy that shall promote speedy access to justice, reformative programmes such as skills training for prisoners, a social protection and support programmes that could help for effective reintegration of remand prisoners into society, and the establishment of a remand home to avoid the mingling of remand prisoners with convicted prisoners.