Deputy Minister fetes prisoners

Mr Alex Kyeremeh, a Deputy Minister of Education, has directed authorities at the Sunyani Central Prison to organise a special party for inmates to celebrate the yuletide.

Mr Kyeremeh, also Member of Parliament for Techiman North gave the directive, when he presented a cow, 10 bags of rice, and gallons of cooking oil to the prison.

He told reporters at the ceremony that he is sad about the increasing number of inmates at the central prison, hence the need to enhance conditions at the prison.

He said if opportunities are not created for the young people in prison to acquire employable skills, it would be difficult to re-integrate them back into society after they had served their sentences.

Mr Kyeremeh said reformation and reintegration of ex-convicts is a shared and collective responsibility, and appealed to the public not to stigmatise prisoners, especially after their incarceration.

The Deputy Minister told the inmates that their imprisonment is not the end of their life and advised them against living unhealthy lifestyles.

Deputy Director of Prisons (DDP) Alhassan Nahii, Regional Commander of the Ghana Prison Service, thanked the minister for the kindness he had shown to the inmates.

He expressed worry about the congestion at the various cells, explaining that instead of the designed capacity of 10 inmates a facility is housing 30 inmates.

DDP Alhassan said the phenomenon had resulted in the outbreak of skin rashes and other skin diseases among the inmates.

He said the central prison needs vehicles and drugs.