President John Mahama signed the Community Service Act, 2026 into law on August 26, establishing non-custodial sentences for minor offences. The legislation allows individuals convicted of small crimes to perform community service instead of spending time in prison.
Mahama stated that the new sentencing system will save taxpayer funds by removing the need for the state to feed and house minor offenders. He explained that government expenditure currently goes toward taking care of prisoners serving time for minor infractions.
“Instead of putting people in jail and government going to have to pay for looking after prisoners for stealing goods or for committing some very minor offences, they can be sentenced to do community service for the periods that they are convicted for,” Mahama said.
Under the Community Service Law, any misdemeanour carrying a jail term of up to
Source: 3News
