Remand prisoners reduced from 30.57% to 12.81% through JFAP-Justice Asare Botwe
Justice Afia Serwah Asare-Botwe, who chairs the programme’s steering committee, disclosed the figures while addressing journalists in Koforidua in the Eastern Region.
A Court of Appeal judge says Ghana’s Justice for All Programme (JFAP) has sharply reduced the number of inmates held on remand, lowering the proportion from 30.57% in 2007 to 12.81% as of 2 March 2026.
Justice Afia Serwah Asare-Botwe, who chairs the programme’s steering committee, disclosed the figures while addressing journalists in Koforidua in the Eastern Region.
She explained that when the initiative began in 2007, Ghana’s prison population stood at 13,800, with 4,218 inmates awaiting trial, contributing significantly to overcrowding in correctional facilities.
According to the latest records from the Ghana Prisons Service, the total inmate population now stands at 13,620, comprising 1,745 remand prisoners and 11,875 convicted inmates.
Justice Asare-Botwe described the decline in remand cases as one of the most notable achievements of the programme over the past 19 years.
Under Article 14(4) of the 1992 Constitution, a person who is arrested must be released either unconditionally or on reasonable conditions if their trial is not conducted within a “reasonable time.” However, the law does not clearly define what constitutes that timeframe, leading in some cases to lengthy pre-trial detention.
The Justice for All Programme was introduced under former Chief Justice Georgina Theodora Wood to address such challenges. It operates through special in-prison court sittings, where judges review the cases of long-term remand inmates.
During a recent session held at Koforidua Prisons, courts reviewed 31 remand cases. Out of these, 15 inmates were granted bail, four were convicted, two were referred for psychiatric treatment, two bail applications were refused, five cases were struck out, and three were withdrawn.
Justice Asare-Botwe said the initiative has grown beyond a simple overcrowding response, noting that it has strengthened human rights protection, access to justice, and public confidence in the legal system.
She added that ongoing reforms within the judiciary — including improvements to jury trials and wider use of plea bargaining under Act 1079 — are expected to further ease congestion in Ghana’s prisons.
