Mr J. H. Mensah, Senior Minister, on Monday said the government would soon construct a bigger prison camp at Dodowa in the Greater Accra Region to create enough space for the rehabilitation of prisoners and to decongest the prisons.
He said the Winneba and Kumasi rehabilitation camps would be expanded to accommodate the over 10,000 prisoners and ex-convicts stashed in small cells.
Mr Mensah, who also Chairman of the Economic Management Team, was speaking at the opening of this year's Prisons Week celebration under the theme: "Rehabilitation of Prisoners In The New Dawn."
Activities for the week include an open day and exhibition of handicrafts by prisoners, games and a symposium under the topic "Establishing linkages in the criminal justice system for effective handling of criminal."
He said government would demand of the prison service prudent use of resources. Mr Mensah said the prosecution process for prisoners on remand would have to be hastened to help decongest the prisons.
One priority of the government, he said, was to ensure that prisoners were well rehabilitated to contribute towards national development but stressed that the community could play a crucial role by accepting reformed prisoners. He said an increase of the daily feeding fee of 2,500 cedis per prisoner was being considered.
Mr Richard Kuuire, Director General of the Ghana Prisons Service, said some prisoners and ex-convicts became hardened because they were treated with scorn, rejected and virtually abandoned.
"This negative attitude towards prisoners should become a thing of the past if we as a nation want to marshal the energies of all social groups to achieve the much needed accelerated growth and development."
Mr Kuuire said the wide range of beautiful products on exhibition was enough testimony of the ingenuity and enormous potential of prisoners and the prison service.
He appealed for the adoption of dormitories and cells in prisons and provision of resources to improve conditions of prisoners as was being done for hospitals and schools.
The Director General said the public could equip workshops and provide trade training for prisoners to give them employable skills or provide more drugs to meet their health needs.
He said to take care of prisoners some very hardened, was no mean task and called for public support and cooperation.
