Ghana LAWA Fellow 1998-1999 B.L., Ghana School of Law L.L.M., Georgetown University Law Center G.P.O. Box 129 Accra, Ghana Email: lawghana@yahoo.com

Affiliations: LAWA GHANA

Profile:

Ms. Ayesu is currently a member of the Prison Officers Welfare Association with direct responsibility for women’s issues and has conducted a ground-breaking survey on women prisoners in Ghana.

LAWA Experience:

Barbara’s graduate research, culminating in her paper entitled, “Prison Reforms for Ghanaian Female Prisoners,” focused on women in prisons and the legal complexities female prisoners face.

She completed her fellowship internship at the D.C. Prisoners’ Legal Services Project, where she worked on the Women in Prison Project. During her placement, Barbara visited and interviewed prisoners in the Maximum Security Facility in Lorton, Virginia and the Corrections Treatment Facility in D.C. Barbara also attended the Women in Prison Roundtable Conference in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where she served on the “Multicultural Visions and Alternatives” panel.

Other Work Experience:

Prior to LAWA, Ms. Ayesu was a prison officer in the legal department in Ghana, a position she returned to following her fellowship. Ms. Ayesu has been a legal advocate for the Prison Service of Ghana since 1990, focusing on the rights of women prisoners and officers. In addition, she has provided legal advice to the Director General of Prisons and has represented the Prison Service before the Law Courts, the Attorney General and the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice.