The Public Defenders Division, one of the three functional divisions of the Legal Aid Commission, was able to resolve only 323 out of the 1,518 criminal cases it received between January 2023 and July this year. This is due to the shortage of lawyers (public defenders) available to support the work of the division charged with the mandate of representing accused persons who cannot afford the services of a lawyer.
Currently, there are only 34 lawyers who act as public defenders nationwide, significantly affecting the division’s ability to handle the high volume of criminal cases. Out of these, only 12 specialise in criminal cases and are concentrated in the Greater Accra, Ashanti, Western/ Western North regions, leaving some areas without any legal support.
The shortage, therefore, puts immense pressure on the few lawyers who must cover multiple border regions. For example, in the three regions of the north (formerly Northern Region), there are only two lawyers responsible for criminal cases, one of whom is due for retirement this year.
