Majority leader Mahama Ayariga, speaking at the parliament press briefing on Thursday, May 22, 2026, explained that the delay in considering the human sexual and family values bill is due to plans to incorporate community service as part of the penalties for some categories of offenses.
Addressing the media as the 9th Parliament resumed sitting after recess, Mahama Ayariga said some members of parliament believe certain offenses under the bill should attract community service instead of custodial sentences. According to him, discussions around the proposed legislation have also been influenced by concerns over congestion in Ghana’s prisons and the long-term impact imprisonment has on offenders.
“There are some MPs that think that some of the penalties should include something like community service for some of the categories of the offences. Beyond that, we have a bigger problem of congested prisons.” he said during the parliament press briefing.
Mahama Ayariga further explained that imprisonment for minor offences places additional financial pressure on the state while sometimes failing to reform offenders. He argued that some individuals leave prison more hardened because of the conditions they encounter while serving their sentences.
“A young boy goes to steal a fowl and you send him to prison for a year or two. By the time he comes out, he’s a well-prepared criminal because of the conditions in prison. So, instead of reforming, he rather just decides to specialize in the life of crime because he’s seen it. And so, it no longer deters him to go to prison,” the majority leader stated at the parliament press briefing.
Community service bill to take priority
The Majority leader disclosed that the minister for the Interior intends to introduce a community service bill to provide alternative punishments for some categories of offences instead of imprisonment. He explained that Parliament wants to ensure the community service bill is passed first before amendments are made to the human sexual rights and family values bill.
“So, the minister for the interior wants to bring the community service bill so that for some category of offences, we can rather impose community service as part of the penalties instead of imprisonment. So, that is what actually delayed the consideration of the bill because we want to incorporate that in there,” he said.
Mahama Ayariga added that leadership is prioritizing the passage of the community service bill to create the legal basis for possible amendments to the human sexual and family values bill.
“So, we are prioritizing the community service bill so that immediately it is passed then, there’s a basis for some amendments in the family values bill to include community service as part of the penalties.”
