Parliament passes Community Service Bill to reduce custodial sentencing
Parliament has passed the Community Service Bill, 2026, paving the way for the introduction of community service as an alternative to imprisonment for persons convicted of specified offences.
The new legislation establishes a National Community Service Secretariat to oversee the implementation of the programme and provides a legal and institutional framework for non-custodial sentencing in Ghana.
The Bill, which was laid before Parliament by the Minister for the Interior, Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka, on March 4, 2026, in accordance with Article 106(1) of the 1992 Constitution, was referred to the Committee on Defence and Interior for scrutiny before its passage.
According to the committee's report, Ghana's criminal justice system has traditionally relied heavily on custodial sentences, a situation that has contributed significantly to overcrowding in the country's prisons.
The committee noted that the growing prison population has placed considerable pressure on the Ghana Prisons Service while increasing government expenditure on inmate feeding, healthcare, maintenance and prison infrastructure.
It explained that the Community Service Bill forms part of wider criminal justice reforms being pursued by the Ministry of the Interior to promote non-custodial sentencing for minor and specified offences.
The legislation is intended to expand the sentencing options available to the courts, encourage the rehabilitation of offenders, reduce repeat offending and support their successful reintegration into society.
The committee further disclosed that efforts to establish a structured non-custodial sentencing system date back to 2014, when the Ministry of the Interior, with support from UNICEF, began developing a national policy on alternative sentencing.
The report stated that the new law gives practical effect to provisions on non-custodial sentencing contained in the Criminal and Other Offences (Procedure) Act, 1960 (Act 30), and the Interpretation Act, 2009 (Act 792).
It added that the legislation is expected to strengthen Ghana's criminal justice system, improve the management of correctional facilities and promote a more balanced approach to sentencing by reserving imprisonment for more serious offences while allowing suitable offenders to undertake supervised community service.