POS Foundation constructs, commissions ultra-modern paralegal office at Kumasi Central Prison

The Perfector of Sentiments Foundation, an Accra-based Civil Society Organization (CSO) specializing in Human Rights Advocacy and Law/Policy Reforms, collaborated with German cooperation/GIZ Ghana, alongside support from the Legal Aid Commission, Ghana Prisons Service, and KABFAM, to construct and inaugurate an ultra-modern Paralegal Office at the Kumasi Central Prison on Friday, April 26, 2024.

The aim is to assist incarcerated individuals who may have experienced a miscarriage of justice or received an excessive sentence, providing them with legal representation to appeal their cases through self-representation under Article 19 (2) (f).

Mr. Jonathan Osei Owusu, Executive Director of the POS Foundation, handed over the office to the Ghana Prisons Service, urging them to make the unit accessible to all inmates seeking to review their cases. He emphasized the importance of the Paralegal Office as a refuge for inmates who cannot afford legal services.

“We are grateful to GIZ for the funding and KABFAM Ghana for the appliances. This office, situated close to the Prison High Court, will streamline the work of paralegals and expedite processes,” stated Mr. Osei Owusu.

He reiterated, “This project aims to aid prisoners who cannot afford lawyers in testing the laws and seeking the justice they were denied before.”

DOP/Mr. Samuel Owusu-Amponsah, Director of Prisons Operations, representing the Director General of Prisons, commended the efforts of the POS Foundation and GIZ. He expressed appreciation for the office and its potential benefits for the region.

“We’ve long awaited this. Today, we are deeply grateful for Mr. Osei-Owusu and his team's commendable deed. We are confident that this single but impactful initiative will greatly benefit not only the Central Prison but the entire region,” remarked Mr. Owusu-Amponsah.

The commissioning ceremony was attended by top officials, including DOP/Mr. Samuel Owusu Amponsah, DOP/Mr. Benedict Bob-Derry, Mr. Jonathan Osei Owusu, the country director for GIZ, and Mr. Edmund Foley, Director of Legal Aid Commission. Also present were DDP Mr. Eric Ainoo Ansah, the Ashanti regional Commander of Prisons, DDP Mr. Joseph Asabre, ADP Mrs. Hannah Ewuome, and Justice Sir Dennis Dominic Adjei, a Court of Appeal judge.

Before the office's commissioning at Kumasi Central Prison, a 7-day training program was held at the Miklin Hotel, Danyame, Kumasi, where 20 officers and 11 inmates from the Central and Female prisons were trained as Paralegals.

They were awarded certificates upon completion of the program.