Koforidua prisoners worried about cells congestion

Inmates of the Koforidua Prisons in the Eastern Region have expressed concern about congestion in cells at the facility, which is making life unbearable for them.

They, therefore, appealed to Government, non-governmental organizations, individuals and philanthropists, to come to their aid.

The prisoners made the call when officials from the Eastern Regional Directorate of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice, led by the Regional Director, Mr Stephen Okpoti Mensah, toured the facility,

They said the cells become excessively hot in the night compelling some of them to sleep on the bare floor.

The cells, which were supposed to accommodate 30 inmates each, were being occupied by 80 prisoners each, resulting in congestion.

Mr Mensah said conditions at the Prisons could make inmates harden, and not reform them as their confinement was meant for.

He called for better conditions of living at the Prisons, to ensure the reformation and rehabilitation of prisoners.

Mr Mensah appealed to the Judiciary to find other ways of dealing with minor cases such as the introduction of corporal punishment, as a means to decongest the Prisons.

Deputy Director of Prisons, Mr Kumah Kpeli, in-charge of the Prison, said the Koforidua Prison, which was built for 350 inmates, now accommodates more than 600 inmates due to increase in crime.

He appealed to philanthropists, corporate bodies and Government, to expand the Koforidua Prisons to decongest the facility, and to come to the aid of the inmates.