Community Sentencing of Petty Offenders: An Exploration of Stakeholders’ Attitudes in Accra, Ghana

Abstract

Globally, there seems to be a shift from the emphasis on retributive function of punishment towards a restorative mode. The study sought to find out the attitudes of Ghanaians toward the use of community service as a sentencing condition for adult non-violent offenders over incarceration. Twenty four (24) persons were drawn from a number of stakeholders within the Accra and interviewed. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data, with results showing that generally, Ghanaians expressed a favourable attitude towards community service as means of tackling the sanitation challenge in Accra. The reasons undergirding this attitude were Psychosocial including reformatory tool, decongesting agenda, cost effectiveness, and deterrence appeal. However, these favourable attitudes were circumstantial as considerations depended on: Offenses’ gravity, luxuries and necessities. With such favourable attitudes, it is recommended that community sentencing be considered as an alternative to custodial sentencing of petty offenders. Thus, there is the urgent call for a reexamination of Ghana’s criminal justice system towards embracing some forms of restorative justice such as community service.

Keywords: Community Service, Incarceration, Sentencing, Social Learning, Deterrence