The British High Commission as part of an ongoing Capacity Building Project for the Ghana Prisons Service organised a four-day training workshop on paralegal skills and criminal law for 60 officers.

This training highlights the Commission’s commitment to increasing support for an improved justice system in Ghana.

It is aimed at equipping the Prisons officers with relevant legal knowledge on local and international human rights laws; basic criminal law principles to enable participants to understand ethical issues associated with paralegal duties and to enhance skills in taking instructions from prisoners regarding completion of criminal appeal documents.

Drawn from various stations across the 43 prison estates in the country, 60 officers of the Ghana Prisons Service were trained in two batches.

UK Barrister from Axiom International Ltd. Edward Hand, assisted by the Executive Director of the Human Rights Advocacy Centre, Cynthia Nimo-Ampredu trained participants.

Head of Political and Communications Team, Annup Vyas presenting a certificate to a participant.

In climaxing the four-day training, Head of Political and Communications Team at the British High Commission Mr Annup Vyas said, “thank you for your commitment to this course, to your service and to what you’ll continue to show in the coming years.

“The skills you have developed will stand you in good stead as defenders of the rule of law and human rights values."

Director of Prisons in charge of Administration and Finance, Stephen Cofie said, “The training has provided the requisite knowledge to be trainers of trainees and I charge participants to administer paralegal assistance to other officers in their stations’’.

As a follow-up to this course, the British High Commission in its bid to strengthen the UK-Ghana relationship will subsequently fund Human Rights training for officers of the Ghana Prisons Service.

Axiom International Limited, UK and Human Rights Advocacy Centre, Ghana are the targeted trainers.