加纳议会近日通过《2026年社区服务法案》，将社区服务作为轻微犯罪的监禁替代方案[1]。该法案旨在缓解加纳监狱系统面临的严峻压力——根据加纳内政部长蒙塔卡·穆巴拉克的表述，当前监狱人口过度拥挤超过37%，共有13000多名囚犯，仅维持和饲养他们一个季度就需要1000万塞地（折合75.2万欧元、85.9万美元）[1]。
该法案适用于可罚不超过三年监禁的犯罪[1]，需经总统约翰·德拉马尼·马哈马批准才能生效[1]。这项立法是2014年以来由内政部与联合国儿童基金会共同推进的十年政策进程的成果[1]。加纳的这一举措与地区改革趋势相契合——尼日利亚、肯尼亚、津巴布韦、马拉维、坦桑尼亚和乌干达等非洲国家已采纳类似的非监禁判罚立法[1]。
Ghana's parliament has approved the Community Service Bill of 2026, legislation that establishes community service as an alternative to imprisonment for minor offenses.[1] The measure seeks to alleviate the country's acute prison overcrowding crisis, which currently exceeds 37% capacity with over 13,000 inmates, according to Ghana's Interior Minister Montaka Mubarak.[1] The minister emphasized that maintaining and feeding these prisoners for just one quarter requires 10 million cedis, equivalent to approximately 752,000 euros or 859,000 dollars.[1]
The bill applies to crimes punishable by no more than three years of imprisonment and will become effective only after receiving approval from President John Dramani Mahama.[1] The legislation represents the culmination of a decade-long policy process initiated in 2014 by the Interior Ministry in partnership with UNICEF.[1] Ghana's reform aligns with broader African efforts to reduce reliance on incarceration; Nigeria, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Tanzania, and Uganda have already adopted similar non-custodial sentencing laws.[1]