Abstract
In this chapter, we review the juvenile justice system in Ghana and how it responds to young people in conflict with the law. There is a dearth of theoretical and empirical research on juvenile justice in Ghana and Africa more generally. Yet these contexts provide useful sites for exploration of fundamental issues about juvenile justice. Among such issues are the impact of colonial history and neoliberal policy transfers on treatment of young people caught up in the justice system. The chapter provides a background to youth justice and the conditions of incarcerated young people in Ghana. We argue that colonial history and neoliberal youth justice policy transfers have dislocated the traditional system of justice. This dislocation has, in turn, created tensions and contradictions in juvenile justice administration in Ghana and Africa. Although in theory Ghana’s juvenile justice system appears to conform to many of the international standards and expectations, in practice the system undermines the rights of children and young people in conflict with the law. We conclude with suggestions about ways to address some of the challenges confronting juvenile justice administration in Ghana.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abdullah, A., Cudjoe, E., & Manful, E. (2018). Barriers to childcare in children’s homes in Ghana: Caregivers’ solutions. Children and Youth Services Review, 88, 450–456.
Abotchie, C. (1997). Social control in traditional Southern Eweland of Ghana: Relevance for crime prevention. Accra: Ghana Universities Press.
Abram, L. S., Jordan, S. P., & Montero, L. A. (2018). What is a juvenile? A cross-national comparison of youth justice systems. Youth Justice, 18(2), 111–130.
Adu-Gyamfi, J. (2019). Ghana’s child Panels: Effective child protection and juvenile justice system or superfluous creation? The British Journal of Social Work, 49, 2059–2072.
Adzewodah, V. (2019). Juvenile justice system in Ghana: The case of the Senior Correctional Centre, Accra-Ghana. In Juvenile justice system in Ghana: Meeting the objectives of Ghana’s correctional centres. Accra: Centre for Democratic Development.
Akoensi, T. D. (2017). In this job, you cannot have time for family’: Work–family conflict among prison officers in Ghana. Criminology & Criminal Justice, 18(2), 207–225.
Alhassan, A., Ziblim, A. R., & Muntaka, S. (2014). A survey on depression among infertile women in Ghana. BMC Women’s Health, 14(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6874-14-42.
Ame, R. (2017). The juvenile justice system in Ghana. Ghana Social Science Journal, 14, 1–30.
Ame, R. K. (2018). The origins of the contemporary juvenile justice system in Ghana. Journal of Family History, 43(4), 394–408.
Annor, F. (2014). Managing work and family demands: The perspectives of employed parents in Ghana. In Z. Mokomane (Ed.), Work-family interface in sub-Saharan Africa: International perspectives on social policy, administration and practice (pp. 17–36). Springer International Publishing.
Ansah-Koi, A. A. (2006). Care of orphans: Fostering interventions for children whose parents die of AIDS in Ghana. Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Services, 87(4), 555–564.
Aryee, A. F. (1997). The African family and changing nuptiality patterns. In A. Adepoju (Ed.), Family, population and development in Africa (pp. 78–96). London: Zed Books.
Arthur, J. A. (1991). Development of penal policy in British West Africa: Exploring the colonial dimension. International Journal of Comparative and Applied Criminal Justice, 15(1–2), 187–206.
Arthur, J. (1996). Rehabilitation of juvenile offenders in Ghana. Journal of Offender Rehabilitation, 24, 23–37.
Ayete-Nyampong, L. (2013). Entangled realities and the underlife of a total institution: An ethnography of correctional centres for juvenile and young offenders in Accra, Ghana. PhD thesis, Wageningen University, The Netherlands.
Ayete-Nyampong, L. (2017a). Insider insights about education provisions for children in conflict with the law in Correctional centres in Ghana. In 1st Asia Pacific Conference on Contemporary Education (APCCE). Adelaide: Asia Pacific Institute of Advanced Research.
Ayete-Nyampong, L. (2017b). Practicalities and complexities surrounding escape occurrences in Ghana’s correctional centres for children in conflict with the Law. International Journal of Research in Sociology and Anthropology, 3, 1–7.
Boakye, K. E. (2013). Correlates and predictors of juvenile delinquency in Ghana. International Journal of Comparative and Applied Criminal Justice, 37(4), 257–278.
Boakye, K. E. (2020). Juvenile sexual offending in Ghana: Prevalence, risks and correlates. Child Abuse and Neglect, 101. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2019.104318.
Bosiakoh, T. A., & Andoh, P. (2010). Differential association theory and juvenile delinquency in Ghana’s capital city – Accra: The case of Ghana Borstal Institute. International Journal of Sociology and Anthropology, 2, 199–205.
Brown, C. K. (1996). Gender roles and household allocation of resources and decision-making in Ghana. In E. Ardayfio-Schandorf (Ed.), The changing family in Ghana (pp. 21–41). Accra: Ghana Universities Press.
Busia, K. A. (1968). The position of the chief in the modern political system of Ashanti: A Study of the influence of contemporary changes on Ashanti Political Institutions. London: Cass.
CHRAJ. (2013). Annual reports. Accra: Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ).
Clifford, W. (1974). An introduction to African criminology. Nairobi. Oxford University Press.
Cox, P. (2012). History of global criminology: (Re)inventing delinquency in Vietnam. British Journal of Criminology, 52, 17–31.
Crewe, B., Liebling, A., & Hulley, S. (2014). Heavy-light, absent-present: re-thinking the ‘weight’ of imprisonment. British Journal of Sociology, 65, 388–410.
Daily Graphic. (2015). Strengthen security at Osu Remand Home. Retrieved August 6, 2020, from https://www.graphic.com.gh/news/general-news/strengthen-security-at-osu-remand-home.html.
de Graft-Johnson, K. (1965). Social control in a changing society. Ghana Journal of Sociology, 1, 47–55.
Demographic and Health Survey. (2015). Ghana Demographic and Health Survey 2014. Accra: Ghana Statistical Service. Available at https://statsghana.gov.gh/gssmain/fileUpload/pressrelease/2014%20GDHS%20%20Report.pdf (accessed 2 July 2020).
Demographic and Health Survey. (2020). Ghana. The DHS Program. Statcompiler: USAID. Available at https://www.statcompiler.com/en/ (accessed 2 July 2020).
Department of Social Welfare. (2005). A report on the state of juvenile justice administration in Ghana (A decade assessment: 1993–2003). Accra: Government of Ghana.
Donkor, E. S., Naab, F., & Kussiwaah, D. Y. (2017). “I am anxious and desperate”: Psychological experiences of women with infertility in The Greater Accra Region, Ghana. Fertility Research and Practice, 3(1), 1–6.
Egozy, O., & Cox, A. (2017). Youth facilities and violence: An overview. In P. Sturmey (Ed.), The Wiley handbook on violence and aggression. London: Wiley.
Fourchard, L. (2006). Lagos and the invention of juvenile delinquency in Nigeria, 1920–60. The Journal of African History, 47(1), 115–137.
Frontiers, C. (2011). Report on the mapping and analysis of Ghana’s Child Protection system. Kowloon.
Ghana News Agency. (2005). Three Juveniles kept in police cells instead of Borstal Home. Retrieved February 2, 2020, from https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/Three-Juvenals-kept-in-police-cells-instead-Borstal-Home-79947.
Ghana Police Service. (2016). Integrating child-friendly policing into the Ghana Police Service: Mapping report summary. Accra: Government of Ghana.
Ghana Prisons Service, 2015. Annual Report. Accra.
Ghana Statistical Service. (2015). Demographic and health survey: Key findings. Accra: GSS.
Ghana Statistical Service. (2016). 2015 Labour force report. Retrieved February 2, 2020, from https://www2.statsghana.gov.gh/docfiles/publications/Labour_Force/LFS%20REPORT_fianl_21-3-17.pdf.
Ghana Statistical Service. (2018). Ghana multiple indicator cluster survey (MICS 2017/18), snapshots on key survey findings report. Accra: GSS.
Ghanaian Times. (2015). Riot: Juveniles chase prison officers at Borstal Institute. Retrieved February 2, 2020, from https://www.myjoyonline.com/news/riot-juveniles-chase-prison-officers-at-borstal-institute/.
Ghanaweb. (2016). 6 escape from Osu Remand Home. Retrieved August 6, 2020, from https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/6-escape-from-Osu-remand-home-417816.
Giddens, A. (1990). The consequences of modernity. Cambridge: Polity Press.
Goldson, B., & Muncie, J. (2015). Juvenile justice: International law and children’s rights. In International encyclopedia of the social & behavioral sciences (pp. 956–962). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-08-097086-8.86045-6.
Goody, E. (1982). Parenthood and social reproduction: Fostering and occupational roles in West Africa. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Government of Ghana. (2015). Justice for children policy. Accra. Retrieved February 2, 2020, from http://www.mogcsp.gov.gh/index.php/mdocs-posts/justice-for-children-policy/.
Hoffmann, S., & Baerg, C. (2011). Juvenile justice in Ghana: A study to assess the status of juvenile justice in Ghana. Accra. Retrieved February 2, 2020, from http://www.humanrightsinitiative.org/publications/ghana/JuvenileJusticeinGhana.pdf.
Judicial Service of Ghana. (2018). Children before the courts in Ghana: Towards child-friendly justice. Accra.
Kelly, J. B. (1997). The best interests of the child: A concept in search of meaning. Family and Conciliation Courts Review, 35(4), 377–387.
Laird, S. E. (2011). Enforcing the law on child maintenance in sub-Saharan Africa: A case study of Ghana. International Journal of Law, Policy and the Family, 25(2), 220–243.
Meagher, K. (2003). A back door to globalisation? Structural adjustment, globalisation and transborder trade in West Africa. Review of African Political Economy, 30(95), 57–75.
Mendez, J. E. (2014). Report of the special rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment: Mission to Ghana. New York.
Mensa-Bonsu, H. J. A. N. (2006). Ghana’s juvenile justice system on probation … making progress with painful steps and slow. Accra: Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Mensa-Bonsu, H. J. A. N. (2017). Ghana. In S. Decker & N. Marteache (Eds.), International handbook of juvenile justice (pp. 3–28). Cham: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-45090-2_1.
Morris, A., & Gelsthorpe, L. (2006). Towards good practice in juvenile justice policy in the commonwealth. Commonwealth Law Bulletin, 32(1), 27–58.
Muncie, J. (2005). The globalization of crime control—The case of youth and juvenile justice: Neo-liberalism, policy convergence and international conventions. Theoretical Criminology, 9(1), 35–64.
Nachinab, G. T., Donkor, E., & Naab, F. (2018). Child adoption as a management alternative for infertility: A qualitative study in rural northern Ghana. International Journal of Caring Sciences, 11(3), 1763–1770.
Nukunya, G. (2003). Tradition and change in Ghana. Accra: Ghana Universities Press.
Odongo, G. O. (2017). Kenya. In S. Decker & N. Marteache (Eds.), International handbook of juvenile justice (pp. 29–43). Cham: Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-45090-2_2.
Oduro, G. Y. (2012). ‘Children of the street’: Sexual citizenship and the unprotected lives of Ghanaian street youth. Comparative Education, 48(1), 41–56.
Opoku, D. K. (2010). From a ‘success’ story to a highly indebted poor country: Ghana and neoliberal reforms. Journal of Contemporary African Studies, 28(2), 155–175.
Oppong, C. (1973). Growing up in Dagbon. Accra: Ghana Publishing Corporation.
Oppong, C., & Abu, K. (1987). Seven roles of women: Impact of education, migration and employment on Ghanaian mothers. Geneva: International Labour Office.
Osei, B. A. (2013). Evaluating the effectiveness of Ghana’s juvenile justice system in rehabilitating the offender. Ghana: Aseshi University College.
Sarbah, J. M. (1968). Fanti national constitution (2nd ed.). London: Frank Cass & Co. Ltd.
Sloth-Nielsen, J. (2001). The role of international human rights law in the development of South Africa’s legislation on juvenile justice. Law, Democracy and Development, 5(1), 59–83.
Teye, J. K. (2013). Economic value of children and fertility preferences in a fishing community in Ghana. GeoJournal, 78(4), 697–708.
Twum-Danso Imoh, A. T. D. (2019). Terminating childhood: Dissonance and synergy between global children’s rights norms and local discourses about the transition from childhood to adulthood in Ghana. Human Rights Quarterly, 41(1), 160–182.
United Nations. (1986). Standard Minimum Rules for the Administration of Justice. New York, United Nations.
United Nations. (1990a). The Protection of Juveniles Deprived of their Liberty. New York, United Nations.
United Nations. (1990b). Guidelines for the Prevention of Delinquency. New York, United Nations.
UNICEF. (2016). Creating an ideal legal framework for child protection in Ghana: Legal analysis report. Accra.
UNTC. (2020). Convention of the rights of the child. United Nations Treaty Collection. Retrieved February 2, 2020, from https://treaties.un.org/pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=IND&mtdsg_no=IV 11&chapter=4&lang=en.
Wacquant, L. (2001). The penalization of poverty and the rise of neoliberalism. European Journal of Criminal Policy and Research, 9, 401–412.
Weinberg, S. K. (1965). Urbanization and male delinquency in Ghana. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 2(2), 85–94.
Yaro, J. A. (2013). Neoliberal globalisation and evolving local traditional institutions: Implications for access to resources in rural Northern Ghana. Review of African Political Economy, 40(137), 410–427.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2021 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Boakye, K.E., Akoensi, T.D. (2021). Doing Time: Young People and the Rhetoric of Juvenile Justice in Ghana. In: Cox, A., Abrams, L.S. (eds) The Palgrave International Handbook of Youth Imprisonment. Palgrave Studies in Prisons and Penology. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-68759-5_5
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-68759-5_5
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-68758-8
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-68759-5
eBook Packages: Law and CriminologyLaw and Criminology (R0)