Ghana's president pardons hundreds of prisoners

A statement from the presidency said 787 of those pardoned were first time offenders, while 33 were forgiven on medical grounds.

President John Mahama also commuted the sentences of 87 death row prisoners to life imprisonment. In total, 998 inmates were pardoned.

The decision eases pressure on Ghana's prisons which face overcrowding and capacity constraints.

As of this August, the country's inmate population stood at 14,044, according to the Ghana Prisons Service.

The president was working on a recommendation from the Prisons Service Council, which had initially sought pardon for 1,014 individuals.

To fight overcrowding, Ghanaian lawmakers approved the parole system which allows for inmates meeting certain criteria to be released conditionally.

The introduction of parole was hailed by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) as 'a moment of reflection and reimagination for Ghana’s justice system'.