Prisoners indulge in homosexuality to raise money to buy food

Koforidua, Feb 11, GNA- A prisoner at the Koforidua Prisons disclose= d that prisoners indulge in homosexuality to raise money to buy nutritious foods to supplement what they were being given at the prison.

The prisoner who made the revelation said because the food given them= at the prisons was very small and had no meat or fish, they gave in to the demands of some inmates who got food and money from their relatives or pa= ls so they could also enjoy. Speaking at an open forum when Mr Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, the Eastern Regional Minister, visited them, the prisoner therefore appealed for increment in the 60p being given to each prisoner for meals per day. He told the Regional Minister that because of the practice of "seniority" even at the cell, some inmates had no choice than to bow to t= he pressures of their so called seniors, to indulge in the act coupled with the fact that they would get sumptuous meals to eat.

The prisoners in general, raised issues with the justice system, especially the attitude of the police officers and the bad conditions at the prisons and appealed to government to improve the conditions of the priso= ns.

Mr Ofosu-Ampofo noted that he had received reports about the indulge= nce of homosexuals at the prisons and charged the prison officers to find appropriate measures and sanctions to curtail the practice.

He expressed worry that the practice if not checked would lead to hi= gh prevalent cases of the HIV/AIDS pandemic at the prisons, and urged the inmates to report anyone who indulged in the practice to the prison authorities. The Regional Minister later presented 30 bags of maize and beans, 10= 0 pieces of blanket and mats, plastic plates and cups, football and a television antenna to the inmates.