A law lecturer at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Ernest Kofi Abotsi is advocating reforms in the country’s criminal justice. He said the current custodial sentencing system, ought to give way for suspended sentence. That, for him, will deal with the current challenge of decongestion in the country’s prisons. He was speaking to Joy FM’s Super Morning Show host Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah during a discussion on whether public office holders found to have embezzled money should be made to pay back such money with punitive interest. Proponents of the policy contend that the current practice where corrupt officials are just sentenced to a certain period of time was disincentive enough for people not to steal. According to them, making people pay money they have stolen with huge interests will not only help the state to recover money, but also serve as a disincentive for people to embezzle money as they will not benefit from such monies. Contributing to the discussion, Mr Abotsi said although the court’s have jurisdiction to order people to pay stolen money and serve a custodial sentence at the same time, they hardly impose payment sentences. Instead, they mainly apply custodial sentences. He said the public must change the mentality that convicting someone without sending the person to jail is not punishing enough. According to him, suspended sentence can be effective in making people to properly conduct themselves. With this type of sentence, a person convicted usually has the sentence hanging over him or her and can be reactivated when the person commits another crime. The law lecturer said the thought of the sentence being reactivated can subdue convicts and compel them to stay out of crime. Story by Malik Abass Daabu/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana