Navigating criminal sanctions through a plea of guilty or not in Ghana: the perspective of prison inmates
AbstractThe plea of accused persons, whether guilty or not, forms a central part of the legal process. Such a decision must exclusively rest with the accused person and be devoid of judicial and extrajudicial influence. This study seeks to interrogate the contexts within which accused persons determ...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Taylor & Francis Group
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Cogent Social Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/23311886.2024.2329795 |
| _version_ | 1827308466236030976 |
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| author | Elijah Tukwariba Yin Constantine K. M. Kudzedzi Nelson F. Kofie |
| author_facet | Elijah Tukwariba Yin Constantine K. M. Kudzedzi Nelson F. Kofie |
| author_sort | Elijah Tukwariba Yin |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | AbstractThe plea of accused persons, whether guilty or not, forms a central part of the legal process. Such a decision must exclusively rest with the accused person and be devoid of judicial and extrajudicial influence. This study seeks to interrogate the contexts within which accused persons determine their plea in court. It is argued that all the forms of plea are employed by accused persons as a means of navigating the sentencing outcomes of their cases. The study used a mixed-methods approach to data gathering and analysis. The respondents explained their guilty plea within the context of leniency, the expedition of cases, and to avoid prison remand. Those who pleaded not guilty largely thought of it within the context of identifying a legal loophole and having the opportunity to appeal their sentence after conviction. The extent to which the police influenced the accused to plead guilty requires further investigation. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T19:09:19Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-35da37fe325a4e0688b9475f691834da |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2331-1886 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T19:09:19Z |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Cogent Social Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-35da37fe325a4e0688b9475f691834da2024-03-26T12:36:41ZengTaylor & Francis GroupCogent Social Sciences2331-18862024-12-0110110.1080/23311886.2024.2329795Navigating criminal sanctions through a plea of guilty or not in Ghana: the perspective of prison inmatesElijah Tukwariba Yin0Constantine K. M. Kudzedzi1Nelson F. Kofie2College of Humanities and Legal Studies, Faculty of Law, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, GhanaCollege of Humanities and Legal Studies, Faculty of Law, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, GhanaDepartment of Sociology, Philosophy, and Religion, Northern Virginia Community College, Loudoun, VA, USAAbstractThe plea of accused persons, whether guilty or not, forms a central part of the legal process. Such a decision must exclusively rest with the accused person and be devoid of judicial and extrajudicial influence. This study seeks to interrogate the contexts within which accused persons determine their plea in court. It is argued that all the forms of plea are employed by accused persons as a means of navigating the sentencing outcomes of their cases. The study used a mixed-methods approach to data gathering and analysis. The respondents explained their guilty plea within the context of leniency, the expedition of cases, and to avoid prison remand. Those who pleaded not guilty largely thought of it within the context of identifying a legal loophole and having the opportunity to appeal their sentence after conviction. The extent to which the police influenced the accused to plead guilty requires further investigation.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/23311886.2024.2329795CrimepleaguiltyinmatesentenceHeng Choon (Oliver) Chan, Department of Social Policy, Sociology, and Criminology, University of Birmingham, UK |
| spellingShingle | Elijah Tukwariba Yin Constantine K. M. Kudzedzi Nelson F. Kofie Navigating criminal sanctions through a plea of guilty or not in Ghana: the perspective of prison inmates Cogent Social Sciences Crime plea guilty inmate sentence Heng Choon (Oliver) Chan, Department of Social Policy, Sociology, and Criminology, University of Birmingham, UK |
| title | Navigating criminal sanctions through a plea of guilty or not in Ghana: the perspective of prison inmates |
| title_full | Navigating criminal sanctions through a plea of guilty or not in Ghana: the perspective of prison inmates |
| title_fullStr | Navigating criminal sanctions through a plea of guilty or not in Ghana: the perspective of prison inmates |
| title_full_unstemmed | Navigating criminal sanctions through a plea of guilty or not in Ghana: the perspective of prison inmates |
| title_short | Navigating criminal sanctions through a plea of guilty or not in Ghana: the perspective of prison inmates |
| title_sort | navigating criminal sanctions through a plea of guilty or not in ghana the perspective of prison inmates |
| topic | Crime plea guilty inmate sentence Heng Choon (Oliver) Chan, Department of Social Policy, Sociology, and Criminology, University of Birmingham, UK |
| url | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/23311886.2024.2329795 |
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