The Ghana Prison Service (GPS) is wondering how it is expected to reform and rehabilitate inmates with little logistics and insufficient funds.
According to the GPS , a major challenge hindering it’s mandate of rehabilitating and transforming prisoners is the woeful inadequate funds provided to feed them.
Upper East Regional Public Relations Officer of the GPS ,DSP Nankpani Alhassan in an interview with A1radionline.com said ,there was an urgent need for the upward adjustment in the feeding allowance for prison inmates in view of the fact that ,it was more than 10 years since the allowance was adjusted.
He also noted that, inmates needed to be fed well to boost their immune system, so they would be able to withstand diseases most common in prisons in the country and suggested the feeding to be pegged at same rate with boarding students in senior High schools.
“We’ve a challenge with our feeding rates.the feeding is One cedi eighty pesewas(GH¢1.80) per a prisoner and as we all know, even a school child cannot even live on one cedi eighty pesewas just even an hour.but we are managing .it’s for three square meals per day.that is why we always call on benevolent societies and individuals to come to our aid as far as food is concerned though government is trying it’s best but it is not enough”he noted.
He added that if the feeding rates were not adjusted, it will continue to be a major setback in correcting the prisoners in the country which will make it difficult for them to be reintegrated into society.
“We are supposed to reform and rehabilitate prisoners but how can we do that on empty stomachs? He questioned.
He also lamented about the extremely poor health conditions at the prisons which needed to be addressed urgently.
The Navrongo Prisons was built to contain a maximum of 100 inmates, but Mr. Nankpani said the population was over 200.
This DSP Nankpani stated, has led to overcrowded situation at the prison resulting in the inmates developing all kinds of skin diseases.
The GPS is therefore appealing to benevolent organisations and individuals to lent their support in other to ensure a proper reform system for inmates at the prisons.
This appeal was made when Charger Limited , producers of Happy Man bitters and other beverages as part of it’s Coporate Social Responsibility (CRS) donated items to the Navrongo Prisons in the Upper East Region.
The items included:10 boxes of medicated soap, 2 25kg bags of sugar ,10 25kg bags of rice 2 boxes of dettol detergents,20 bottles of psrazone and
100 bags of sachet water.
Source:A1radionline.com |101.1MHZ |Ghana
