The Chief Executive Officer of the POS Foundation, Jonathan Osei Owusu, has commended President John Dramani Mahama for granting presidential pardon to 863 convicted persons, describing the decision as a timely intervention to help address overcrowding in Ghana’s prisons.

President Mahama exercised the prerogative of mercy under Article 72(1) of the 1992 Constitution, following consultation with the Council of State, according to an announcement by the Presidency on October 5, 2026. 

Reacting to the decision, Mr. Osei Owusu, a human rights advocate, said the move deserved commendation and offered beneficiaries an opportunity to reform and rebuild their lives outside prison.

“We are grateful to the government for showing some mercy through Article 72. The President has exercised his discretion to grant amnesty to some of our colleagues in prison,” he said.

He argued that the exercise of presidential mercy was particularly important given the overcrowding challenges facing Ghana’s correctional facilities.

“Even innocent people have been to prison before,” he added, stressing the need for society to show compassion towards people who had served time behind bars.

Mr. Osei Owusu cited the Nsawam Medium Security Prison as an example of the challenges confronting prison authorities, claiming that the facility which, he noted, had an authorised capacity of 850 inmates was accommodating approximately 3,300 prisoners.

“For a facility that is meant for 850 people to be taking care of 3,000-plus inmates, what will be the danger for even prison officers in managing these facilities?” he questioned.

He explained that the overcrowding places considerable pressure on prison officers and make effective inmate management difficult.

The POS Foundation CEO also welcomed efforts to introduce community service as an alternative to imprisonment for certain minor offences, arguing that the approach could help reduce congestion and limit the exposure of minor offenders to more hardened criminals.

“So, it has come at a good time, complementing the Community Service Bill that has come, so that when people commit minor offences, misdemeanours, they are not sent to prison to get contaminated with other criminals,” he said.

Mr. Osei Owusu expressed hope that community service arrangements would be implemented effectively and that future exercises involving presidential mercy would continue to consider eligible first-time offenders.

He maintained that offering some offenders another chance does not mean condoning criminal behaviour.

“Of course, this is not to condone crime — that people should go and commit crime. No matter how small it is, it’s still a crime,” he stated.

He added that some offenders might have learnt important lessons from their experiences, so deserved the opportunity to demonstrate positive change.

Mr. Osei Owusu appealed to the public to welcome the beneficiaries and support their reintegration into the society rather than stigmatising them because of their criminal records.

“We are hoping that the public will accept them, will help them reintegrate into society so that they will have a change of mind and what took them there will be a thing of the past,” he emphasised.

He stressed that the success of the pardon would depend partly on the willingness of families, communities and other stakeholders to support the beneficiaries as they resume life outside prison.

In a further appeal for compassion, the human rights advocate reminded Ghanaians that anyone could potentially find themselves caught up in the criminal justice system.

“We all have to have mercy for our friends who are in prison and help them come out, get reformed and be a better person in society.”

He believed the country needs to balance accountability for wrongdoing with rehabilitation and opportunities for offenders to become responsible members of the society.