Public opinion on the death penalty in Ghana

This publication reports findings from the first empirical study on public opinion on the death penalty in Ghana. The research was inspired by the work of the Constitutional Review Commission, which recommended in its final report to Government the abolition of the death penalty. The Commission advanced four main arguments for its recommendation: the current de facto abolition position does not adequately punish death penalty convicts; the lack of justification for the state arrogating to itself the right to take life; current international trends towards abolition; and belief in utilitarian principles which emphasise reformation as the fundamental aim of the justice system. As can be seen, none of these reasons makes reference to public sentiments about the death penalty. The Commission’s work involved a ‘public’ consultation, but opinion leaders and key stakeholders such as professional bodies and local advocacy groups dominated the process. For various reasons – for example, the structure of the process, lack of awareness of the consultative meetings, and the structure of people’s routine activities – a large section of Ghanaians was unable to participate in the Commission’s work. Yet, a wider public engagement would seem important given the peculiar history of the death penalty in Ghana and concerns about backlash effects in the form of vigilante violence. Moreover, Articles 3(3) and 13(1), which concern the death penalty, are entrenched provisions in the Ghanaian constitution. Therefore, notwithstanding Government’s acceptance of the Commission’s recommendations, a referendum is required to decide whether or not the death penalty should be abolished. Research evidence on the nature of public opinion on the death penalty will contribute to debate preceding the referendum. The research began following a presentation by the authors at the invitation of the European Union Delegation in Ghana and the French Embassy on the 11th World viii Day Against the Death Penalty in 2013. The research was funded by the Smuts Memorial Fund and the Cambridge-Africa Alborada Research Fund, University of Cambridge. The Centre of Criminology and Criminal Justice (Ghana) carried out the study based on a face-to-face survey of 2460 people randomly selected from four communities in Accra. The selected communities reflect the varying socio-economic and ethnic compositions of the capital city and country. The fieldwork was conducted in April and May 2014, and covered a broad range of issues in relation to the death penalty. The results showed that views about the death penalty do not appear to be polarized. The majority of Ghanaian respondents (48.3%) expressed strong opposition to the death penalty. Only 8.6% indicated strong endorsement of this form of punishment. Almost 6 out of every 10 respondents supported abolition of the death penalty in cases of murder. Among those opposed to abolition, 7 in 10 would support a discretionary death penalty in place of the current mandatory death penalty. The most preferred replacement for the death penalty was life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. Approximately, 71% of people interviewed chose life imprisonment without the possibility of parole as the alternative to the death penalty. This is consistent with the recommendations of the Constitutional Review Commission. Popular commentary on the death penalty suggests that Ghanaians support retention of the death penalty for reasons of deterrence. The evidence from this study revealed a tripod of reasons: deterrence; retribution; and justice for victims’ families. Among proponents of abolition, sanctity of life and the possibility of executing innocent people were the two prominent reasons. The data show very little evidence of potential backlash in the form of support for vigilante violence or lynching; 26% said they would take the law into their own hands if the death penalty was abolished. The ix findings from a detailed analysis showed that traditional religious beliefs about supernatural punishments were a powerful force shaping attitudes to the death penalty. People who believed in these punishments were more likely to endorse the death penalty and to resist abolition for murder. This is novel finding in the academic literature on the death penalty. However, more research is required to establish more fully the mechanisms that link these beliefs to anti-abolition attitudes. There is evidence of hotspots of death penalty views from this study. Residents of high-class neighbourhoods were likely to oppose the death penalty and to support its abolition for murder. Support for the death penalty was concentrated in low-class migrant areas. An interesting finding emerged that low-class indigenous areas were more opposed to the death penalty than middle-class areas. Finally, a key issue in death penalty research concerns the role of scientific evidence, especially evidence on deterrence effects and wrongful conviction. The findings show that evidence has both transformative and reinforcement effects. While scientific evidence does not lead to a complete rejection of the death penalty, the findings showed that some anti-abolitionists are open to a reasoned debate, and will reconsider their views in the face of scientific evidence. Taken together, the findings from this public opinion survey show a weak public support for the death penalty in Ghana. On the issue of abolishing the death penalty and possible backlash effect, the evidence suggests this is unlikely to be the case. Importantly, the survey reveals the complexity of public opinion on the death penalty and the need for evidence-based approach to understanding the roots of public concerns in order to prevent any possible backlash effects that might lead to pressure to reinstate the death penalty

Juvenile sexual offending in Ghana: Prevalence, risks and correlates

Background Sexual violence research in Africa is overwhelmingly focused on victims with little attention given to perpetrators. In the case of juveniles who perpetrate sexual violence the evidence is mainly from studies in Western industrialized societies. The consequence is that interventions for juveniles who commit sexual violence in Ghana and Africa lack evidential basis. Objectives This study investigates prevalence, correlates and risk factors for juvenile sexual offending. Participants and setting The study utilised a sample of 264 male juveniles aged 12–18 in schools and young offender institutions in southern Ghana. Method Prevalence of the juvenile sexual offending was estimated based on self-report. Odds ratio (OR) was used to calculate the risk for the juveniles engaging in sexual violence. The predictive significance of variables within various domains was estimated using logistic regression models. Results Results show that about a fifth (16.7 %) of the juveniles have committed a sexual offense. A deviant sexual tendency such as paying for sex constitutes an important risk marker for juvenile sexual offending (OR: 6.41, 95 % CI [3.28–12.54]). Risk factors for juvenile sexual offending are concentrated in the family domain with parental neglect (OR: 4.55, 95 % CI [2.46–9.44]), parental conflict (OR: 4.45, 95 % CI [2.35–8.44]) alcoholic parents (OR: 3.07, 95 % CI [1.66–5.69] parental abuse (OR: 2.90, 95 % CI [1.63–5.19]), and deprived family economic condition (OR: 2.64, 95 % CI [1.47–4.75]) emerging as statistically significant factors. Conclusion Prevalence estimates of juvenile sexual offending are influenced by types and number of questions with multiple questions eliciting more accurate estimates than a single item measure. Risk factors for juvenile sexual offending vary based on context. Interventions to reduce juvenile sexual violence must be informed by evidence from the social context

Performance of nine cassava (Manihot esculanta Crantz) clones across three environments

The study was carried out to quantify the genotype × environment interaction (G × E) and to estimate the phenotypic stability by genotype genotype × environment (GGE) biplot of nine cassava clones comprising 5 hybrids, 3 parent checks and 1 improved variety. The study was planted across three different environments; Fumesua, Pokuase and Ejura representing forest, coastal savanna and forest transition zones, respectively. Genotype main effect was significant (P < 0.001) for fresh root yield and dry matter content, G × E interaction effect was significant (P < 0.001) for fresh root yield only and environment main effect was significant (P < 0.01) for only fresh root yield. The most stable clone for fresh root yield with above average performance was La02/026 (hybrid). The high genotype and low environment effects, and the relatively low interaction on dry matter content imply that evaluation and selection can be effectively done in fewer environments to select clones with high performance for the trait whiles fresh root yield requires multiple environments to identify clones with broad and specific adaptation

Genetic variability of three cassava traits across three locations in Ghana

A study was conducted to assess the extent of genetic variability, broad-sense heritability and correlations for fresh root weight, root number and top weight of five cassava genotypes across three locations in 2 years. Combined analysis of variance revealed highly significant genotypic effect for all the traits. Genotype x environment interaction was also significant for all the traits studied indicating considerable but, varying response of the genotypes to the environments. High broad-sense heritability and genetic advance as percent of the mean were observed for fresh root weight, suggesting that the trait is primarily under genetic control and that a simple recurrent phenotypic selection scheme would be rewarding. Phenotypic coefficients of variation values were larger than their corresponding genotypic coefficient of variation values for all traits. Correlations between the three traits were highly significant and positive indicating that simultaneous progress for the three traits is feasible

A Quality Control Scheme for a Commercial Pozzolana Plant: A Case Study of Pozzolana Ghana Ltd

A Quality control scheme was developed for a 200 ton per day commercial pozzolana plant. The scheme was evaluated for the first 34 days of production. Statistical Process Control tech­niques were specifically applied to the mechanical properties of setting times and compressive strength. Results obtained showed that pozzolana samples tested were chemically suitable with total SiO2, Al2O3 and Fe2O3 content ≥ 70%. Mechanical tests performed were mostly under control and when out-of-control, they gave valuable indication to plant malfunction or operator errors which were promptly corrected. The results of mechanical properties tested against the three major brands of cement on the Ghanaian market showed that pozzolana gave highest compressive strengths with Dangote CEM I 42.5R ranging between 21.3 MPa - 36.3 MPa at 7 days and 33.8 MPa - 45.1 MPa at 28 days whilst lowest compressive strengths were obtained with Ghacem CEM II B-L 32.5R cement ranging between 16.3 MPa – 23.6 MPa at 7 days and 23.3 MPa – 30.7 MPa at 28 days. Compressive strengths obtained with Diamond CEM II B-L 42.5N cement were average. A mean compressive strength for all brands of ce­ment of 25.2 MPa and 33.6 MPa at 7 days and 28 days respectively were obtained. Keywords: Pozzolana cement, statistical process control, Shewhart chart, compressive strength, setting tim

Environmental performance of chocolate produced in ghana using life cycle assessment

Ghana is an important cocoa producer and exporter and this production is of high economic importance. Increasing interest in the sustainable productions of cocoa/chocolate necessitated the need to assess the environmental impacts associated with the production of different chocolate variants (extra dark (EDC), dark (DC), milk (MC) and flavoured milk (FMC) in Ghana, including the identification of environmental hotspots for improvement. The life cycle assessment tool was used following the CML_IA and CED impact assessment methods. EDC had the lowest scores for most of the impact categories while FMC was most impactful. For Global Warming Potential (GWP), EDC and FMC were estimated to be 1.61 kg CO2 eq. and 4.21 kg CO2 eq., respectively. CED ranged from 1.44 × 102 to 1.50 × 102 MJ-eq. Chocolate manufacturing phase was generally more impactful than cocoa cultivation due to high emissions from milk and sugar production. The impact scores for 100 g packaged chocolate bar were the lowest in comparison to 300 g chocolate pouches and 12.5 g packaged chocolate strips. GWP for 100 g and 12.5 g were 0.20 kg CO2 eq. and 0.39 kg CO2 eq., respectively. Comparing different destination points for the manufactured chocolate, impact scores for the international destination were similar to those recorded for local destinations. Improvement options are suggested for all phases to ensure more sustainable chocolate production and distribu-tion

Predictors of HIV status disclosure among people living with HIV (PLHIV) in Ghana:the disclosure conundrum and its policy implications in resource limited settings

BackgroundGlobally, over 40 million lives have been claimed by HIV/AIDS. In Ghana, more than 350,000 people are living with HIV. Non-disclosure of HIV status is a major barrier to HIV/AIDS eradication; yet, little is known of the determinants of HIV status disclosure in resource limited settings in Africa like Ghana.ObjectiveDetermine the predictors of HIV status disclosure among people living with HIV (PLHIV) and stimulate policy discourse on support systems for self-disclosure in Africa.MethodsThis is a descriptive cross-sectional study among PLHIV (n = 181) in sub-Saharan Africa, specifically the Volta region of Ghana. Bivariate probit regression was run to determine factors associated with HIV status disclosure among PLHIV.ResultsHIV status self-disclosure was reported by 50% of the respondents; nearly 65% disclosed their status to non-family members and non-partners. Significant correlates of HIV status disclosure either to partners or non-partners were marital status, monthly income, type of occupation, and being divorced due to HIV status (p ConclusionsHIV status disclosure remains low in Ghana like many African countries. There is the need for a renewed policy debate on tailored guidelines for HIV status self-disclosure and targeted support systems for PLHIV to ameliorate their predicaments and promote eradication of the epidemic in Africa

Life cycle assessment of protected strawberry productions in central Italy

Agricultural activities in Europe cover half of the total area of the continent and are simultaneously a cause of environmental impact and victims of the same impact. Horticultural or fruit crops are considered highly intensive and often employ many crop inputs such as fertilizers, pesticides, and various materials. Strawberry falls into this group, and it has grown in acreage and production more than others globally. The aim of this study is to compare the environmental impact of two strawberry cultivation systems in central Italy, a mulched soil tunnel and a soilless tunnel system. The method used to assess the impact is LCA, widely applied in agriculture and supported by international standards. The data used are mainly primary, related to 2018, and representative of the cultivation systems of central Italy. For impact assessment, the method selected was the CML_IA baseline version. From the results obtained, the two systems show a similar impact per kg of strawberries produced (e.g., for global warming: 0.785 kg CO2 eq for soilless, 0.778 kg CO2 eq for mulched soil tunnel). Reduced differences can be observed for the use of crop inputs (greater for the tunnel) and the use of materials and technology (greater for soilless). The mitigation measures considered concern the replacement of the packaging (excluding plastic) and the growing medium of the soilless using perlite and compost from insect breeding

Factors Associated with Ivermectin Non-Compliance and Its Potential Role in Sustaining Onchocerca volvulus Transmission in the West Region of Cameroon

Background Community Directed Treatment with ivermectin is the cornerstone of current efforts to eliminate onchocerciasis. However recent studies suggest there are foci where long-term annual distribution of the drug alone has failed to ensure elimination thresholds are reached. It is important to achieve high levels of compliance in order to obtain elimination targets. An epidemiological and entomological evaluation conducted in the western region of Cameroon in 2011 revealed that two health districts remained with a high prevalence of infection, despite long-term distribution of ivermectin since 1996. This paper explores potential factors that may have contributed to the non-interruption of transmission, focusing on ivermectin treatment compliance and the importance of systematic non-compliance within the population. Methodology/Principal findings A mixed methods approach was used, including a population-based survey to assess treatment compliance and factors associated and qualitative assessments including focus group discussions and in-depth interviews with key programme stakeholders and drug distributors. Compliance was reported at 71.2%(95%CI: 61.7–79.2%;n = 853/1198). The key factors related to compliance in the most recent round related to either programmatic and delivery issues, primarily absenteeism at the time of the campaign or alternatively individual determinants. An individual’s experience of side effects in the past was strongly associated with non-compliance to ivermectin. Other factors included ethnicity, how long lived in the village and age. There was a high percentage of reported systematic non-compliance at 7.4% (95% CI: 4.3–12.3%; n = 86/1165), higher amongst females. This group may be important in facilitating the sustainment of on-going transmission