New prisons complex soon

Accra, Nov. 2, GNA - Ghana would next year have a maximum security prison at Ankaful in the Central Region to help decongest prisons and offer informal and formal education to inmates. A statement signed by DSP Gloria Fati Dzadey, Chief Public Relations Officer of the Ghana Prisons Service, said the facility had become necessary since the country had not had any major prison since the closure of the Usher Fort prisons in 1993.

It said a recent visit to the site showed that the work was 80 per cent complete, adding that the absence of electricity at the site to promote extended working time was the only factor delaying the project, which should have been ready in December.

According to the statement, the prisons complex would be custom made to house prisoners serving long sentences and others considered to be high-risk prisoners.

The statement said the structure was also being studied by the UN peacekeeping force in Liberia for possible adaptation.