No, Misdemeanours Do Attract a Prison Term in Ghana, Even 25 Years

Introduction

A few weeks ago, a certain wind began to blow through our legal streets, and it appears to be gaining momentum. It carries a seductive but specious dictum that misdemeanours in Ghana attract no custodial sentence, only a fine; that bail in such cases is a matter of right; and that a judge who refuses it deserves to be rusticated to the classroom.

Specious as its momentum may be, and with the greatest respect to its proponents, the statute book tells a more sober story. The law is not swayed by wind. Let us go to the black letter, where the law has built its hospital and labelled its wards.

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