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In the field of penology, very few studies have paid attention to the role of religion in prison. The sparse scholarly studies are largely focused on the advanced countries, and rarely on prisons in Africa. In addition, the findings on the impact of religion on inmates have yielded mixed results. This study examined the role of religion as a facet of inmates’ social relationships. It is argued that the decision of inmates to participate in religious activities is not necessarily for redemption but for materialism. The study settled on a mixed method approach to data collection. The data revealed that inmates who participated in religious activities did so purposely for the material benefits associated with the practice of religion. Religion provided inmates the context for contemplating their lives and mortality. The study concludes that religious beliefs and practices; regardless of how it comes to be experienced within the confines of the prison, are powerful forces that influence the conduct of prisoners, prison officials and civil society organisations.

Since the launch of Ghana’s Industrial Policy (GIP) in 2011, it has not received the needed backing for implementation. This has created a challenge for industrial efficiency for the economy of Ghana. Based on the implementation gaps identified in the policy, it is argued that Ghana can absolve itself from neoliberal economic dictates if it focuses on a new industrial policy approach that galvanises the Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) sector. The objective of this paper is to review the GIP and to identify the gaps in its implementation and implications for SMEs’ growth in Ghana. Using the doctrinal research method, secondary data sources were analysed. The study revealed that the GIP comes in as a key development paradigm with private sector collaborations, yet its potentials have not been harnessed as expected. The paper concludes that, for a paradigm shift, it is rewarding to give greater attention to the manufacturing department of the SMEs with the view of developing a useful industrial policy regime.

Now, more than ever, the Ghanaian patient is better informed, more discerning and increasingly aware of his/her healthcare rights and options. Despite the rate of awareness, scholars have paid less attention to some medicolegal issues in the country. This paper examines the prevailing regime of healthcare delivery and regulation, and attempts to construct the context of medical misconduct and malpractice in Ghana. Using a desktop approach, the study made use of secondary data such as news articles, journal publications, and statutes, among others. The analysed data indicate that what determines professional-patient relationship outcomes are contextual issues of regulatory, institutional, political, socio-cultural, and legal. It is proposed that any prosecution or adjudication of malpractice claims, or considerations for medical law reforms, must be done with due regard to the prevailing context, if just and suitable ends are envisaged.

Poverty is a condition in which people and communities lack the resources and basic elements necessary for a minimum standard of living. Poverty means that the level of income from employment is too low to meet basic human needs. Poor individuals or families are likely not to have sufficient housing, clean water, healthy diet, and health care. This paper examines the concept of poverty from the perspective of local actors. The study made use of a qualitative approach to data gathering and analysis. The data discussion revealed that participants interpreted poverty to mean lack of money to meet basic human needs such as food, shelter, clothing, transportation, etc. It was also understood as one’s inability to meet desired goals. Among other interpretations, death was seen as the highest form of poverty. Lack of formal education and employment opportunities, the unwillingness of some local actors to work, the disadvantaged position of women, and early childbirth were seen as the main causes of poverty. In dealing with poverty, participants suggested the creation of employment opportunities by the government of Ghana and other private agencies. Acquiring formal education and practicing good financial management were also seen as key to alleviating poverty. The study concludes that poverty is collective among the indigenes, hence has huge social connotations, covertly and overtly.

This paper argues that it is not the prison rules and regulations that alter the behaviour of inmates but rather the ideological justification of their religious faith. The article draws upon the social constructionist theory of reality to underpin the discussion of the data. Data was gathered through in-depth interviews and the distribution of semi structured questionnaires. When analysed, the data revealed that although inmates had the right to practice the precepts of their religious faith as defined in law, in practice, these religious rights were not entirely observed. The partial recognition of these rights divulges that the principle of humane treatment underpinning the respect for rights in prison was ignored and reduced to mere formal respect for rules. Besides, the data disclosed that inmates rarely attributed the change in their personality to the impact of prison rules and regulations, but rather to the transformative power of their religion.

This paper focuses on the relationship between discursive exclusion practices and terrorism. The changing linguistic meaning of civilisation, the structure of modern discourse and the objectivity of knowledge claims undergirding western civilisation have contributed immensely to the construction of the idea of terrorism. The paper argues that these expressions of self and practices define the individual and give credence to their existence. Using some examples of violent acts, the paper illuminates the biases in the usage of the term terrorism and its implications on the apparatuses adopted to minimise it.

This chapter aims to examine the costs and delays in accessing justice in Ghana and Sierra Leone. It is argued that despite the promising and legal history of Ghana and Sierra Leone, with existing court structures and legal procedures on civil and criminal matters, the legal spaces of both countries are fraught with costs and delays in accessing justice. The authors used secondary data from the World Bank, Afrobarometer Report, statutes, court documents, website articles, etc. to underpin the write-up. It was found that citizens in both countries were confronted with delays and costs in accessing justice. It is recommended that in an era of cell phones and various apps, the justice sector should endeavour to go hi-tech by sending alerts to litigants, lawyers, and witnesses warranting their presence at an appointed date and time.

This study aims to document, describe, and examine how the informal prison economy is mediated. It is argued that, in part, it is the prison’s internal micro bureaucratic capitalism that gives rise to its informal economy. The data discussion draws on ethnographic observation, interviews with inmates, ex-convicts, and prison officers. The paper also makes use of newspapers and internet-based news articles on prisons in Ghana. The data was analysed based on themes and patterns. The analysed data showed that the informal prison economy was antithetical yet symbiotic with the formal bureaucracy. And that the illicit economy was a product of a poorly managed system that enabled ordinary staff members to engage in corrupt practices without fear of negative sanctions. The role of the informal prison economy in the lives of inmates was enormous—ranging from family sustenance, de-facto health insurance, hiring of legal services to say the least. The paper concludes that the informal economy has become habituated and has taken on a life of its own; to the extent that it has become resistant to administrative control.

This chapter surveys scholarly works on the extent to which religion influences inmate rehabilitation and reintegration into mainstream society. Apart from conceptual explanations, the empirical reviews add to its analytic claims. This study argues that despite the functions of religion in relation to crime and its pro-social behaviour, its rehabilitation and reintegration function is limited due to the neglected roles of faith communities, families, and other legal institutions. The literature analysis concludes that the efforts to institute religion in prison to reform and rehabilitate inmates are fruitless due to the divergent interests of the actors involved. The religious civil society organisations that participated in convicted prisoner rehabilitation did not show the same interest in their reintegration into mainstream society.