Forfeiture of Recognisance, Vicarious Liability and Constitutional Safeguards, and the Principle of Personal Liability in Ghanaian Law

Article 19(11) of the 1992 Constitution provides: “No person shall be convicted of a criminal offence unless the offence is defined and the penalty prescribed by law.” This provision enshrines the principle that punishment must be personal, tied to one’s own act or omission.