Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga has attributed the delay in Parliament’s consideration of the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill to ongoing discussions on introducing community service as an alternative form of punishment for certain offences.

Addressing journalists at a leadership media briefing on Friday, May 22, 2026, Mr. Ayariga said lawmakers were examining whether some sanctions proposed under the anti-LGBTQ+ bill could be replaced with non-custodial penalties, including community service.

According to him, the debate is tied to wider concerns about overcrowding in Ghana’s prisons and the financial cost of keeping offenders in custody.

He noted that incarcerating individuals for relatively minor offences often places a heavy burden on the state, sometimes costing more than the offences committed.

Mr. Ayariga further cautioned that lengthy jail terms for minor crimes could expose offenders to hardened criminal influences rather than reform them.

He disclosed that government plans to prioritise the passage of a Community Service Bill, which would empower courts to impose community-based punishments for selected offences instead of prison sentences.