Access to Justice
A major component of the CHRI mandate is the promotion and protection of the right to justice. The Africa Office access to justice programme has evolved over the years from strictly advocating for reforms in the Ghana Police Service to ensure more accountability, and conformity to international human rights standards; to monitoring the accessibility of justice to Ghanaians in terms of access to the judicial system- especially the right to fair trials.
Among others, the CHRI strives to promote the provision of legal assistance especially to the less privileged at the entry point of the criminal justice system- the police station; receive complaints (both civil and criminal) and follow up to ensure their logical conclusion; employ alternative means to disputes resolutions; conduct legal rights education and engage advocacy for law reform – notable among them is advocacy to decriminalize poverty and status and passage of non-custodial sentencing regime in Ghana. Thus, the programme is organized around three main areas:
Police Reform –
The police service is the entry point for most citizens to encounter the criminal justice system. Police Reform aims to ensure that policing conforms to acceptable human rights principles and processes in a democratic society. The regular interface the police have with the public, as compared to other justice sector institutions, makes it crucial for them to be accountable to the people. In many Commonwealth countries, particularly where a legacy of colonialism has left the police unaccountable, where the judicial processes are slow and cumbersome, arbitrary arrests and torture are commonplace. Increasing transparency of a traditionally closed system and holding the stakeholders accountable can ensure police-public relations is improved so that the police can effectively maintain law and order. CHRI Africa strategic interventions in Ghana under this area of work includes the police accountability project. The project aims to assist the development of a responsive and accountable police service in Ghana by examining the police system, identifying accountability gaps, facilitating policing, human rights and accountability related advocacy and increasing debate around and demand for police accountability in Ghana. One such accountability advocacy is the demand for the establishment of an Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) in Ghana.
Pre-trail Detention-
In Ghana, CHRI Africa works to safeguard the rights of pre-trial detainees through police station visits to offer paralegal assistance to indigent arrested persons. CHRI also strives to promote the provision of legal assistance especially to the less privileged at the entry point of the criminal justice system- the police station. This is done under our Justice Centers project where paralegals among other interventions visit designated police stations in Accra and Kumasi to offer legal assistance to indigent arrested person and also monitors police practises. This is done in collaboration with key stakeholders such as the Ghana Police Service, Legal Aid Commission and Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice. The aim of the Justice Centers project is to remedy the violations of fundamental human rights experienced by indigent populations due to ignorance of their own rights, illiteracy and abject poverty.