Home News Burkina Faso Passes Bill to Ease Prison Overcrowding Through Community Service
News

Burkina Faso Passes Bill to Ease Prison Overcrowding Through Community Service

398

The Transitional Legislative Assembly in Burkina Faso passed a bill on Friday to implement community service as an alternative to imprisonment, aiming to ease prison overcrowding and reduce state expenses.

The bill, passed unanimously, establishes community service as an independent penalty intended to promote fairness and protect the dignity of those convicted.

Justice Minister Edasso Rodrigue Bayala highlighted the bill’s role in improving the justice system by balancing punishment with societal needs.

The bill aims to relieve prison congestion by replacing certain custodial sentences with community service while reducing the cost of maintaining detainees from the state budget, the Assembly’s communications department said.

Under the new law, private entities conducting public service missions may host individuals serving community service sentences.

The term “accused” is also replaced with “person prosecuted” in official language to reflect these changes.

Lawmakers recommended a comprehensive awareness campaign to familiarise judicial actors, victims, facilities, and convicted individuals with the new community service option.

President Ibrahim Traoré has long advocated for reducing prison populations, suggesting community service work could benefit infrastructure, sanitation, and community agriculture.

I don’t see how we can condemn people, drop them off and feed them. I hope that the sanctions will be community service that will allow us to make (the convicts) work in our community fields that we will create to produce for others and also allow us to do other types of work, including infrastructure and sanitation, Traoré said.

Read More:

About The Author

%s Comment

  • Your blog has quickly become one of my favorites. Your writing is both insightful and thought-provoking, and I always come away from your posts feeling inspired. Keep up the phenomenal work!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Articles

NewsPolitics

CSS States May Boycott UEMOA Over Alleged Obstruction of Power Rotation by President Ouattara

Tensions are rising within the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA)...

FinanceNews

Cedi@60: Bank of Ghana Vows to Keep Currency Stable, Sustain Economic Stability

The Bank of Ghana (BoG) has reaffirmed its commitment to protecting the...

FinanceNews

Malian Court Jails Former Minister Cissoko Over Presidential Jet Scandal; Others Sentenced in Absentia

The Special Assize Court in Bamako has delivered its long-awaited verdict on...

FinanceNews

Ghana Sets Up Anti-Gold Smuggling Task Force to Recover Billions in Lost Revenue

Ghana has launched a national task force to combat gold smuggling and...