"I promise
you, I will work with your documentary"; this is what the Chief Justice
told me this morning when I was invited to her office for a short meeting on my
documentary , Locked and Forgotten". via Seth Kwame Boateng’s Facebook page
Yesterday,
Joy FM’s senior reporter, Seth Kwame Boateng was granted a privileged audience
by the Chief Justice of the Republic of Ghana, Mrs. Georgina Wood following a
broadcast of his documentary on Joy FM and Joy News titled ‘Locked and Forgotten’.
The
documentary investigated the dehumanizing conditions in our prisons and how
some remand prisoners have been locked up for years without sentencing by a
competent court of jurisdiction.
The
documentary led to the granting of relieves to some prison inmates who have been on
remand for years. So, in the normal scheme of things, such
wonderful, people focused journalism should be applauded and celebrated.
 |
| Seth Kwame Boateng (R) with the Chief Justice |
The
work put in by Seth Kwame Boateng and the reprieve it had brought to some prisoners could
potentially land him the coveted Journalist of the Year accolade at the 2015
Ghana Journalist Awards.
However,
what is surprising is the expression of surprise by those who should know better about the
flaws in the judicial system and the dehumanizing conditions existing in the
prisons. I am talking about the head of the Judiciary, the Interior Minister and
others who have direct access to information(s) about the prison system.
This
is not the first time such an expose has been carried out on the state of
affairs at our prisons. I recall some years back, Metro TV carried out an
investigative documentary about life within the four walls of our prisons, bringing to viewers shots
of prison cells, inmates infected with various skin diseases and the poor food they get served.
Other
journalists have written extensively on prison conditions. Ex-convicts have
complained bitterly, whenever the opportunity had granted itself, about the
worst form of treatment they endured at prisons. Lawyers who have visited the prisons
have worrying testaments to share about prison life. The CHRAJ and other
human rights bodies have complained on many occasions about the inhuman
conditions in the prisons as well.
The
Chief Justice have made trips to the prisons and seen and heard about the
conditions, challenges and complaints. The Interior Minister and many before
the current one had been there also. So, for them to express surprise about the
system which keeps people on remand for years as well as the dehumanizing
conditions at the prisons is utterly surprising.
Yes,
I know about the Justice- For- All Programme-where prisoners on remand and
others whose sentences are considered absurd per their crimes are given
reprieve or amnesty. The programme, instituted in 2007, was to de-congest the
prisons. So far, it has achieved an appreciable success rate but then, more
should be done to help prisoners on remand.
Human
right institutions have on numerous occasions called for prison reforms and on
the courts to commit petty criminals to community services instead of full
blown prison terms.
Others have called for improvement on the conditions at the
prisons. The prison, as we understand it, should be a reformative institute.
However, that purpose seems defeated in the midst of tales of how it is easy for
‘soft’ criminals to become hardened criminals by the end of their prison terms.
The
Chief Justice and the Interior Minister have expressed commitment to cause a
change within the prison institution and we can only wish them all the best. Measures
to improve the lives of inmates is crucial and important and a welcoming news.
The
fact that these unfortunate individuals are behind bars does not make them less
humans or citizens. It is the responsibility of the state to care and protect the rights of her citizens including incarcerated souls. This should have
happened long ago but as the cliché goes: better late than never.
Watch Locked and Forgotten documentary here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxsoOK3uXVM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmdWBzMtwkY&spfreload=10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2AY2F7ixfo&spfreload=10
Watch Locked and Forgotten documentary here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxsoOK3uXVM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmdWBzMtwkY&spfreload=10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2AY2F7ixfo&spfreload=10
