Ex-convict shares how prison officers allegedly use inmates for crimes

Outside the prison walls, a shadowy world of alleged criminal operations involving inmates and prison officers exists, according to an ex-convict known as Blade, who claims some incarcerated prisoners are secretly used to carry out crimes beyond the confines of Ghana’s prisons.

Blade alleged in an interview with Kay B Media on June 12, 2026, that in instances where inmates are taken out of the prison yard for communal work, if about eight inmates are scheduled for such duties, the supervising prison officer deliberately selects what he described as the “four best criminals” to accompany them, while the remaining four are assigned to the work.

According to Blade, when these inmates are taken out for communal activities such as cleaning gutters or clearing weeds, the prison officer allegedly allows the “four best criminals” to go on what he referred to as “operations,” a term he said includes pickpocketing, theft, and other petty crimes.

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He further alleged that they are given a specific time to return so that they can be taken back to the prison yard.

The ex-convict also noted that when such inmates go into town, engage in criminal activities, and are caught and beaten, they often find ways to convince members of the public to take them back to the prison officer, who then intervenes and shields them.

“There are prison officers who are criminals themselves. When it is time to take inmates out for communal work, these officers deliberately select what they consider the ‘best criminals’ under the guise of assigning them to such duties. Once outside, they allow some of the inmates to break away and engage in criminal activities, particularly those known for pickpocketing and other forms of theft.



“The officers then instruct them to return at a specified time, after which they escort them back into the prison yard. If the inmates fail to return, it could create problems for the officers involved,” Blade alleged.

When asked about rumours of human trafficking within prisons, Blade described it as an almost common and easy occurrence in Ghana’s prison system.

He further alleged that prison officers review visitor logs and identify inmates who have had no visitors since their incarceration and are serving long sentences.

According to him, such inmates are sometimes selected when there is a need for someone to be “trafficked,” with these cases referred to internally as “special transfers,” a practice he claims is known only among inmates.

Watch the full interview below:



AK/BAI