By Morkporkpor Anku, GNA
Accra, March 24, GNA - Christian Atsu, Black Star and Newcastle midfielder has renewed his commitment to support Crime Check Foundation's (CCF) second phase of the Petty Offenders Fund Project.
The second phase of the project would enable the Foundation to reintegrate ex-convicts into the Ghanaian society with the support of benevolent individuals like Atsu.
Mr Ibrahim Oppong Kwarteng, the Executive Director of CCF in an interview with GNA after a visit to the Ghanaian Footballer at his base in Newcastle in the UK said, Atsu has agreed to support the Foundation in its second phase of the Project.
He said with the second phase, the Foundation would reintegrate the ex-convicts into society by giving them skills training and some financial support to establish their own trade, which would enable them integrate properly.
The Petty Offenders Fund Project, is a resource pool used to pay for court fines of individuals languishing in jail for petty offences.
So far with the project, Atsu has supported the release of 48 prisoners across the country's prisons.
The Executive Director said "we believe such an intervention will go a long way to decongest the prisons."
He said with the renewed commitment from Atsu and other good Samaritans the Foundation would continue to pay for court fines of many petty offenders.
He said the efforts were to enable these ex-convicts to find something doing, so as not to reoffend and be locked up in jail.
On the Non-Custodial Sentencing Bill, Mr Kwarteng said there was the need for the passage of the bill into law to ensure that petty offenders are given some form of community sentence instead of throwing them into prison.
He said the bill, when passed into law, would allow those convicted of petty offences to serve in communities to clean the streets and desilt gutters among others.
“Whiles many advanced countries have effectively factored convicts in their development agenda, our country rather prefers to warehouse prisoners and use the tax payer’s money to feed them whiles filth continues to engulf us as a nation," he added.
GNA
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