2,900 Prisoners on remand

THERE are total of 11,600 prisoners, with 2,900 of them serving as remand prisoners, in the country.

These include 400 females and 8,120 juveniles, who represent 70 per cent of the prison population.

The Director General of the Ghana Prison Service , Mr Richard Kuuire, announced this at a four-day seminar organised in Accra by the Seventh-Day Adventist (SDA) Church, in collaboration with the United Prisons Ministries International, a group based in the United States of America.

The seminar, which is aimed at equipping chaplains and volunteer chaplains with skills to effectively minister the Word of God towards the reformation and re-integration of ex-convicts, has the theme, “Ministering to Transform Lives.”

A total of 50 participants from SDA churches all over the country are attending the seminar.

He said there has not been effective collaboration with key players of the criminal justice system to build the capacities of the Prisons and the Police Service, the Attorney-General’s Department and the Judicial Service.

This, he said, is because the system is faced with shortcomings, including corruption, insufficient compliance with constitutional standards, non-adherence to established investigation procedures, slow investigation, cumbersome file handling and transfer procedures and case withdrawals as well as frequent case adjournments, unrealistic bail terms, missing dockets and disproportionate ratio for remand/convict prisoners.

Mr Kuuire stated that irrespective of the harsh conditions of the prisons and the numerous challenges facing the service, it has made some progress by opening up the prisons to the media, including TV cameras, to enable the people to have an insight into the prison system.

He disclosed that a new Prisons Act that will address present inadequacies as well as restructure the Prison Service will soon be put before Parliament .

He said although non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have been formed to improve upon the prison system, there are still outstanding areas of concern such as prisons staff training, poor health delivery, inadequate conditions of service, public non-acceptance of ex-convicts into the society and little attempt being made to reconcile victims with perpetrators.

He urged voluntary organisations to assist prisoners to integrate into society.

The Deputy Minister of the Interior, Mr Kwadwo Affram-Asiedu, said religious organisations have to collaborate with the state to ensure the effective rehabilitation of convicts.

The Chaplaincy Director, Pastor N.L. Thompson, in a welcoming address, said the Adventist Chaplaincy Ministry focuses on nurturing people within a correctional setting.