By Caleb Enstir Eghan
Ghanaians frequently use an old quotation from the Bible “Spare the rod and you spoil the child” whenever they want to or discipline an offender. In this case the acceptance for the establishment of the prisons to punish people who go against the law of the land.
Many human right activists have for years called for an improvement in our prisons and the reform policies to be improved. The prison is made up of all kinds of personalities one can think of. They may be one way or the other found themselves in prison due to an unfortunate incident that calls for their incarceration.
The main reasons for the establishment of prisons was to reform such persons who may have done something inhuman and so on and to shape their psyche for a better life after they serve their due sentences or punishment.
Recently, Honourable Dan Abodakpi has also added his voice to the call for an improvement of facilities at the prisons to help inmate reform during their sentences. Mr. Dan Abodakpi, who recently received presidential pardon from prison was handed a 10-year sentence by an Accra Fast Track High Court on February 5, 2007 for causing financial loss to the state retreated what he said when the leadership of the Parliament paid him a visit at Nsawam Medium Prison some months before being released.
According to the MP who just realized the need for improvement in the prisons after being sentenced said lack of facilities such as information communication technology (ICT) which helps in keeping records of the inmates when they are brought to prison is non- existent, which eventually makes it difficult to identify prisoners who escape from custody.
Honourable Abodakpi was also said to have mentioned that the carpentry, tailoring and electrical workshops which were made to engage the inmates into some activities are all not functioning, thereby making life boring at the prison. The question is when did the Honourable realize that the prison was losing its reform policies due to the malfunctioning these facilities?
There is no doubt that the call of Honourable Abodakpi is good especially being an MP who has experienced what the prisoners are going through and the problems facing the prisons. The Keta MP’s call, which seems late, comes at a right time when Parliament had passed Transfer of Convicted Persons Bill. Under the new law, Ghanaians convicted abroad will be brought to Ghana to serve their sentences upon application.
Already government is complaining of no money for the prisons to take its initial role of reforming the inmates but our leaders and representatives at the legislature are able to pass such a law when the real issues on the ground are not being tackled at the prisons. There is no money but we are able to collect monies for calendars for Ghana at 50 celebrations? , We have monies for presidential lawns and garden chairs but we don’t have money to reform Ghanaians in our prisons who also deserve human treatment huh?
Some few months ago Ghanaian highlife sensation Daasebre Gyamena was released from jail after being free of cocaine charges. This musician came out with a degree in music and mathematics from London. This shows us how effective the British are when it comes to reforming and enabling opportunities for inmates to have hope for the future.
The case of Ghana is very disturbing since the prisons are choked with inmates who sometimes have not being charged or have finished serving their sentence. These inmates also comes out of prison unreformed because some of them do not have any skill to enable them to live comfortably after they are released. The inability and the inadequate resources for the prisons are mainly the catalyst for inmates returning back to prison after being released. If our knowledge on the conditions in the prisons is correct then why do we want to add more fuel to the already blazing fire by accommodating incarcerated Ghanaians on application from foreign prisons?
The government need to sit up to implement the necessary policies to help the prisons and the inmates since they are also Ghanaians. Our representatives in Parliament need to discuss this type of issues and stop the bias party politics they have being engaging themselves in every now and then.
Many human right activists have for years called for an improvement in our prisons and the reform policies to be improved. The prison is made up of all kinds of personalities one can think of. They may be one way or the other found themselves in prison due to an unfortunate incident that calls for their incarceration.
The main reasons for the establishment of prisons was to reform such persons who may have done something inhuman and so on and to shape their psyche for a better life after they serve their due sentences or punishment.
Recently, Honourable Dan Abodakpi has also added his voice to the call for an improvement of facilities at the prisons to help inmate reform during their sentences. Mr. Dan Abodakpi, who recently received presidential pardon from prison was handed a 10-year sentence by an Accra Fast Track High Court on February 5, 2007 for causing financial loss to the state retreated what he said when the leadership of the Parliament paid him a visit at Nsawam Medium Prison some months before being released.
According to the MP who just realized the need for improvement in the prisons after being sentenced said lack of facilities such as information communication technology (ICT) which helps in keeping records of the inmates when they are brought to prison is non- existent, which eventually makes it difficult to identify prisoners who escape from custody.
Honourable Abodakpi was also said to have mentioned that the carpentry, tailoring and electrical workshops which were made to engage the inmates into some activities are all not functioning, thereby making life boring at the prison. The question is when did the Honourable realize that the prison was losing its reform policies due to the malfunctioning these facilities?
There is no doubt that the call of Honourable Abodakpi is good especially being an MP who has experienced what the prisoners are going through and the problems facing the prisons. The Keta MP’s call, which seems late, comes at a right time when Parliament had passed Transfer of Convicted Persons Bill. Under the new law, Ghanaians convicted abroad will be brought to Ghana to serve their sentences upon application.
Already government is complaining of no money for the prisons to take its initial role of reforming the inmates but our leaders and representatives at the legislature are able to pass such a law when the real issues on the ground are not being tackled at the prisons. There is no money but we are able to collect monies for calendars for Ghana at 50 celebrations? , We have monies for presidential lawns and garden chairs but we don’t have money to reform Ghanaians in our prisons who also deserve human treatment huh?
Some few months ago Ghanaian highlife sensation Daasebre Gyamena was released from jail after being free of cocaine charges. This musician came out with a degree in music and mathematics from London. This shows us how effective the British are when it comes to reforming and enabling opportunities for inmates to have hope for the future.
The case of Ghana is very disturbing since the prisons are choked with inmates who sometimes have not being charged or have finished serving their sentence. These inmates also comes out of prison unreformed because some of them do not have any skill to enable them to live comfortably after they are released. The inability and the inadequate resources for the prisons are mainly the catalyst for inmates returning back to prison after being released. If our knowledge on the conditions in the prisons is correct then why do we want to add more fuel to the already blazing fire by accommodating incarcerated Ghanaians on application from foreign prisons?
The government need to sit up to implement the necessary policies to help the prisons and the inmates since they are also Ghanaians. Our representatives in Parliament need to discuss this type of issues and stop the bias party politics they have being engaging themselves in every now and then.
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