Pardon petty offenders to decongest prisons Agalga to Akufo-Addo

NDC MP for Builsa North in the Upper East Region has called on President Nana Akufo-Addo to pardon prison inmates serving time for petty crimes.

This, James Agalga said would help to decongest the highly overcrowded prisons amid the coronavirus outbreak.

The Ranking member on parliament's Defense and Interior Committee said if this is not done, would be disastrous should there be an outbreak of coronavirus in the prisons.

“My suggestion is that this is the right moment for the president to consider the option of exercising the prerogative of mercy function under the constitution to provide for or grant pardon to at least the petty offenders who have been incarcerated within this period so that at least we can decongest our prison facilities,” he said.

He's also been reiterating calls for a total lockdown amid a surge in the number of Covid-19 cases.

The number of cases in the country now stands at 132.

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