Community service targets misdemeanours, excludes serious crimes — Interior Ministry

The Press Secretary at the Ministry of the Interior, Julius Kwame Anthony, has clarified who qualifies to benefit from Ghana’s newly passed Community Service Act.

He explained that the law does not automatically convert prison sentences into community service, as eligibility depends primarily on the nature of the offence and the sentence imposed.

Kwame Anthony said existing convicts with one year or less remaining on a sentence may apply to serve the remaining period through community service, provided the offence qualifies under the Act.

According to him, newly convicted offenders may also qualify where the offence attracts a sentence of not more than three years and falls within the categories permitted under the law.

Speaking on TV3’s Agenda on Tuesday, September 1, Anthony said the Act is largely targeted at misdemeanours and is intended to give judges an alternative to custodial sentences in appropriate cases.

He explained that some offences, such as stealing, do not have a prescribed minimum sentence, giving judges discretion to impose a sentence below the three-year threshold required for community service.

Anthony said the new law would enable judges to consider community service for offenders whose crimes are considered less serious, rather than sending them to prison.

“It is giving judges the option to be able to give alternative sentencing to custodial sentences. That primarily is what the bill is coming to do," he explained.

He, however, stressed that serious offences classified as felonies, including rape, defilement and murder, are excluded from the community service regime.