Our Ambassador “Christopher Boakye Amponsah” is a professional teacher and artiste with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre Arts and a certificate in teaching. He combine both my teaching and artistic skills in analysing and interpreting issues to develop practical innovative solutions to social, business and political problems. He has spent the last 6 years and 8 months in prison custody where he has develop many of the skills that he holds today which are invaluable in today’s world. He got into drug dealing whilst in the University. He was a student leader at the time (and had been at every stage of his education) and a desire to make some extra cash brought him into contact with drug couriers. He, along with our organization are now focused on campaigning for reform in the prisons in particular and the justice system in general. We believe many people in prison either do not deserve to be there at all or should not be there for the long periods that they have been there. During the 2014 State of the Nations address delivered by President John Mahama to parliament, he made mention on fighting crime and the nation turning its back to its enemies. We felt challenged by his message and endeavour to be part of the fight against corruption and injustice particularly within the criminal justice system. Furthermore, A Judge of the Supreme Court, Mr Justice Jones Dotse, has described the criminal justice system in the country as a “time bomb waiting to explode.”He wondered if the country would be able to withstand a revolt in the prisons that were overpopulated and dehumanising, and advocated change in the criminal justice system. Justice Dotse made the suggestion when he chaired a symposium on the criminal justice system of Ghana organised by HelpLaw Ghana a private legal aid body, with support from the Open Society Initiative of West Africa (OSIWA). It’s worth noting that our prisons consist of humans, thus a clarion call on civil society to join our advocacy for reforms in these "correctional facilities".
