President John Dramani Mahama has assured the Ghana Prisons Service government will increase budgetary allocation to help the service better manage its affairs.
“In the next budget cycle, I intend to push for an increase in resource allocation for the Ghana Prisons service,” he indicated.
The move President Mahama said is expected to “help increase the procurement of vehicles, logistics, communication equipment and accommodation for the Ghana Prisons Service.”
According President Mahama, the service has a lot of potential and if given the necessary push, they could have their financial freedom.
President Mahama made the comment when he launched a fund raising programme for the service dubbed: “Project Efiase.”
The project is a ten-year strategic development plan by the Ghana Prisons Services Council.
The project is to raise funds and solicit the needed resources for prisons across the country.
“Prisoners are our brothers and sisters; they are our sons and daughters. Even though we might have taken them out of society and kept them away for a bit, they still are humans and have rights, we’ve only restricted their rights to freedom of movement but all their other rights are active,” stated Mahama.
He further expressed optimism that “the prisons service can generate significant resources to sustain itself, but they first of all need a push and that push must come from government. Government will commit resources to improve the conditions in the prisons, and I wish to fully endorse the Efiase programme and pledge that my administration will lend its full support to your fund raising programme.”
The Chairman of the Prisons Council, Pastor Stephen Wengam had earlier lamented that the various prisons are likely to start rejecting convicted persons because the facilities are almost full.
The situation, according to him, could adversely affect Ghana’s reformation and rehabilitation system if measures are not taken to address it.
A 2014 report indicated that 28 out of Ghana’s 43 prison facilities are overcrowded by as much as 358%.
In a related development, President Mahama has granted 900 prisoners amnesty.
–
By: Godwin A. Allotey & Kojo Agyeman/citifmonline.com/Ghana