EX CONVICT WANTS PRISON REGULATIONS CHANGED

Accra, Feb.7, George Kwadjo Yeboah, a 41 year old ex convict today appealed to government to change the prisons regulation under which a prisoner upon his release is sent back to where he was arrested. He said in most cases ex convicts find it difficult to adapt to a life free of crime since they find themselves in the conditions which compelled them to commit crime. Making the appeal through GRI, Yeboah said many criminals do not hail from the places where they were arrested, but rather found themselves there due to economic constraints.

The ex convict who was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment in November 1987 for stealing and using narcotic drugs, said if government does not amend that regulation "the objective of reforming us will be defeated". He suggested that a prisoner due to be released could be transferred to a prison at or close to his hometown upon his request "so that going back to his relatives wouldn't be a problem. "This would make it quicker and easier for an ex convict to resettle and find a job without having to fall back on his past life to survive," he added. Mr Yeboah said church activities he engaged in while in prison have transformed him into a good citizen. However since his release on November 29, "I have been roaming and sleeping in the streets with no one willing to offer me a job. "To me, my only concern is for other ex convicts who might not be able to endure the three week ordeal I've gone through without committing a crime. It is no wonder that some people go in and out of prison very often".

Brigadier Alex Djangmah, Director General of the Ghana Prison Service, told GRI in another interview that though Mr Yeboah's appeal was reasonable, prison regulations stipulate that a prisoner, upon his release, should be sent back to where he was arrested and convicted. "We are therefore, supposed to transport you to your destination provided there is a vehicle, otherwise we give you money to pay for your transport back", he said. He said a convict may be sent to a prison farther from where he was convicted "depending on the seriousness of his offence or vacancy at that prison, therefore his (Yeboah's) suggestion to transfer convicts would only complicate our services".

He however said the prison regulations were made at a time when there were fewer prisoners but now their number has quadrupled, resulting in a myriad of problems. Brig. Djangmah said the Prison Service was considering this (Mr Yeboah's) and other suggestions, adding that "the matter needs to be looked at in all aspects since other prisoners might not find it favourable and we must not twist the regulations in favour of only a few of them".