Ghana's jails are packed with 4,972 a greater number of than the genuine limit of 10,265, representing around 48% congestion rate.
The prison population was 15,237 as of Wednesday, July 5, 2023, with 15,062 males and 175 females.
In an interview with the Ghanaian Times in Accra, Head of Public Relations Vitalis Ayeh of the Ghana Prisons Service (GPS) and Chief Superintendent of Prisons (CP) Vitalis Ayeh stated that the congestion was affecting the health and quality of life of inmates and called for the expansion of facilities throughout the country.
He stated that it would be extremely beneficial to establish a national prison hospital to meet the health requirements of the country's more than 15,000 inmates.
He claims that because there isn't a dedicated hospital to handle the health care needs of police officers, they are often left at the mercy of the public, which causes them to be stigmatized and puts them at risk for security.
Mr Ayeh expressed in spite of the fact that there were clinics at the jails, such offices couldn't deal with significant wellbeing cases and wiped out prisoners must be moved to public clinics for treatment.
"It is against this background that the assistance is making a unique appeal to the public authority to furnish it with a clinic office to cook for the wellbeing needs of detainees, officials, and their close families," he underlined.
This, he said would assist with speeding up activity on the treatment of the north of 15,000 detainees who might require quick medical care while carrying out their punishments.
According to the PRO, 3,740 inmates were placed on remand between January and June this year, compared to 3,314 the year before.
"The penitentiaries have set up procedures, for example, case global positioning framework and presentation of courts at the jails to guarantee quick track instances of remand cases at the prisons," he added.
He stated that there were 3,740 inmates on remand nationwide in the country's prisons from January to June, compared to 3,314 the year before.
Supt. Inst. Ayeh referenced a portion of the offenses committed by the detainees as murder, contamination extortion, unlawful section, murder, and assault.
He expressed the significant difficulties confronting the assistance were transportation, taking care of, blockage and encouraged the partners to accomplice the help to help them in their tasks.
In addition, Mr. Ayeh urged the government to increase the amount of food provided to the prisoners, noting that they had been receiving three-square meals worth GH1.80 per day since 2010.
Supt. Inst. Ayeh said the Prisons Administration upholds the taking care of detainees through the development of maize, cocoa, palm, vegetables, and others.
He reassured the public of the Prison Service's ongoing determination to ensure the safe custody, rehabilitation, and successful reintegration of convicted individuals.
Supt. Inst. Ayeh stated that plans to acquire land in the Western North and Ashanti Regions were well advanced as part of efforts to alleviate congestion and begin farming in the nation's prisons.
Boss Supt. Ayeh asked people in general to cease from vilifying ex-convicts however aid their reintegration.
He stated that the inmates were taught a variety of vocational skills, including electronics, carpentry, masonry, and mechanic.
He continued, "The service also provides them with skills in the National Vocation Training Institute (NVTI), and inmates have also taken and passed the Basic Education Certificate Examination, among others."
He mentioned that their Internally Generated Fund's service was affected by COVID-19.
“With support from the government and other stakeholders providing us with tractors, we were able to increase production to supplement feeding,” he added. "We did not relent in agriculture production."
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