Most people believe that the law only punishes someone after a crime has been committed. But is that true? Can you be arrested for trying to commit a crime even if you failed? What if you agreed with someone else to commit an offence but never carried it out? What if you only encouraged or helped another person commit a crime without doing it yourself?
Well under Ghanaian law, certain conduct can be criminal even before the main offence is completed. These offences are known as INCHOATE OFFENCES. Although the intended crime may never happen, the law recognises that some acts create such a serious risk that they deserve punishment on their own.