Media reports of massive congestion in the country’s prisons have called into question the effectiveness of the Justice for All programme.

The programme was introduced by the Attorney General’s Department to dispense speedy justice.

It targeted people who had spent ages in remand for minor crimes.

The programme aimed at disposing of some of the cases, acquitting and discharging the people, in a bid to reduce overcrowding in the prisons.

But that aim is yet to be achieved as disturbing media reports indicate that prisoners are allowed by prison authorities to sleep in turns.

That is to make it possible for the prisoners to share the space little available.

But the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Mr Joe Ghartey said the Justice for All programme was not meant to free prisoners en mass.

He said the pilot phase of the programme was very successful, adding that the Ghana Bar Association had been involved to try and get lawyers to do pro bono cases.

Pro bono is a situation where lawyers render legal services free of charge.

That he, said would facilitate the process of truly speedily dispensing justice.

Mr Ghartey noted that second degree felony cases would be added when the second phase was being considered.

The Ghanaian Times newspaper reported on Friday, February 29, 2008, that “inmates of the country's central prisons are forced to sleep in turns as a re¬sult of overcrowding”.

It quoted the prison authorities as saying th situation was dire but they had no option but to bear with it.

According to the newspaper, the Director-General of Prisons, Mr William Kwadwo Asiedu had indicated the prisoners were put into groups which slept in turns.

The central prisons are Kumasi, Sekondi, Nsawam, Tamale and Ho.

The prisons has an intial capacity of 8,000 inmates but are now holding over 14,000 prisoners, Mr Asiedu was reported as saying.

The situation was compounded by the closure of the James Fort Prison following complaints by human rights activists that the facility was too deplorable to be used as a prison.

It would be converted into a tourist site, reports say.

The prisoners that were being held there had to be sent to the other prisons.

To reverse the situation, a maximum security prison is being built at Ankaful in the Central Region.

That facility is expected to to be fitted with all the necessary equipment for correctional purposes.

Inmates would be able to acquire vocational skills to become useful members of society after serving their sentence.