Inmates of Senior Correctional Centre sweep Head of State award

Twenty young persons comprising seven inmates and thirteen discharged inmates of the Senior Correctional Centre (SCC) emerged proud winners of the Head of State Award.

In all, forty-six young persons were presented with awards and certificates of participation by the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo Addo.

The Gold award ceremony which took place a fortnight ago at the Jubilee House saw the inmates being awarded for their wonderful display of artwork and skillful handicraft which included batik, tie and dye, ladies bags, beads making among others, physical and recreational activities such as music and sports as well as cleanliness.

The Head of State Award is associated with the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award which was founded by His Royal Highness (HRH) Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex.

It is open to young persons of ages 14 to 24 years old and pushes them to their personal limit and recognizes their achievements. It also falls in line with the Head of State Award Scheme which equips young people for life regardless of their background, culture, physical ability, skills, and interest.

Under the Special Awards category, the coordinator of the inmates, Deputy Superintendent of Prisons, Victoria Adu-Amoah of the Senior Correctional Centre also received a Certificate, a Citation, and a Techno Phone in recognition of her role in mentoring the inmates.


The President commended the Prisons Administration for their commitment to ensuring that the inmates go through the various reformation programmes aimed at their reintegration into society as law-abiding and productive citizens.

The Senior Correctional Centre formerly known as the Ghana Borstal Institute was established on 19th May 1947 and run by the Department of Social Welfare until Prisons Service took over in 1958.

The mandate of the Centre is to provide safe custody, ensure welfare, reformation, rehabilitation and reintegration of juvenile offenders between the ages thirteen to twenty-one years.

The Centre provides both formal and informal education for inmates. Some inmates are taken through the Junior High school curriculum and prepared to sit for the Basic Certificate.

Others receive vocational skills in such trades as tailoring, carpentry, ceramics, basketry, beads making among others and sit for the National Vocational Training Institute (NVTI) programmes. This is to equip young offenders with employable skills.


The Centre which is the country’s only male juvenile establishment currently has two hundred and sixty-six (266) inmates in custody.