The Prisons need to be centres for reformation

Koforidua, March 22, GNA- A member of the Prisons Council, Mr Frank Ocran, has observed that, unless steps were taken to reform people who were sent to the prisons, the crime rate of the country would keep rising.

He noted that due to limited resources, the Prison Service that had been mandated for the reformation and rehabilitation of prisoners 93has never been able to perform this role effectively."

Mr Ocran, who was speaking at the inauguration of the Eastern Regional Prisons Committee at Koforidua, charged the society to play active role in the management of the prisons in order to produce the desired results.

Mr Ocran, who is the Chief Executive Officer of the State Enterprises Commission(SEC), said despite the various units such as Technical, Agriculture and Guidance and Counselling units established within the service for the reformation of the inmates, much was not being achieved.

He referred to the high crime rate and the fact that most of the criminals apprehended in recent times were ex-convicts, the CEO pointed out that, it was imperative for the district assemblies and civil society organizations to claim ownership of the prisons for them to become more of a reformation centre than dumping sites for hardening criminals .

To him, one of the best intervention to remedy the situation, was for the prisons to benefit from the Millenium Challenge Account (MCA), adding, 93after all, the gains of the MCA would be eroded if ex-convicts turn on the society, through the shortfall of the prisons service."

He cited a laudable initiative by the Christian Council of Ghana, who had volunteered to build a prison camp at Nsawam to reduce congestion and the ADRA which had decided to build a water reservoir at the Forifori Prisons in the Afram Plains as a step in the right direction.

The Regional Commander of the Prisons Service, Deputy Director of Prisons (DDP) Daniel Domie, revealed that, the number of remands either under investigation or awaiting trial were increasing and that posed a threat to the operation of the service.

He said of the 3,638 entire prison population in the region, 2,501 were convicts, whiles 1, 807 were remands and that had put pressure on the staff and accommodation.

The Regional Commander indicated that, those conditions had become breeding grounds for indiscipline in the service and called for measures to curb the trend.

The Regional Minster, Mr Yaw Barimah, said people who fell short of the law needed to be put in safe hands and environment to ensure the safety of the security of the state.

The Supervisng High Court Judge, Justice H. A Addo sworn in the 6-member committee with the Regional Minister as the chairman and charged them to live up to the expectation of their duties. The short ceremony was attended by the Director of Prisons, Mr Kwadwo Asiedu, the Director of Social Welfare, Mrs Mary Amadu, the officer in-charge of the Kumasi Female Prison, Mrs Vida Fredua Agyeman and other heads of the various prisons in the region.