By Frank Kwame Abbor
Ho, July 9, GNA – The Ghana Prisons Service has appealed for urgent public and institutional support to address severe overcrowding, inadequate healthcare, accommodation challenges and logistical constraints confronting the Ho Central Prison.
Chief Superintendent of Prison (CSP), Emmanuel Dzangbah, Public Relations Officer for the Volta and Oti Regional Prisons Command, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that the facility continued to admit inmates despite limited accommodation because prison authorities were legally required to receive all persons committed by the courts.
He said the prison currently houses 312 inmates in only eight cells, with some cells accommodating as many as 70 inmates, a situation he described as a serious threat to the health and welfare of both inmates and prison officers.
“We cannot reject an inmate sent to us by the courts. We first receive the person and then think about how to manage the overcrowding. The congestion contributes to the spread of diseases, excessive heat, and even mental health challenges because many inmates are unable to sleep properly,” he said.
CSP Dzangbah said the prison’s health centre also faced shortages of medicines and essential medical equipment, making it difficult for health personnel to provide adequate healthcare to inmates. He noted that the close living conditions increased the prevalence of skin infections and other communicable diseases.
Seargent Frank Kakla, Also Prison Officer, speaking on the same issue, appealed to the public, corporate organisations and philanthropists to support the prison with medicines, medical equipment and other welfare items, stressing that prison health was a public health concern.
“Whatever happens inside the prison can affect the wider community because prison officers interact with inmates daily and later return to their families and society. Supporting prisons is therefore in the interest of everyone,” he said.
The officers also called for expansion of prison infrastructure to reduce congestion and improve living conditions, stressing that although imprisonment deprived offenders of their liberty, they remained entitled to their fundamental human dignity, including access to decent accommodation, healthcare and other basic rights.
They further advocated reforms that would allow the Prisons Service to undertake commercial contracts using the skills of qualified inmates and prison officers, saying proceeds from such ventures could be used to improve prison facilities and support rehabilitation programmes.
The Regional Command appealed to individuals, corporate bodies, religious organisations and development partners to support the Ho Central Prison and other correctional facilities across the country with healthcare supplies, accommodation support and vocational opportunities to improve inmate welfare and successful rehabilitation.
GNA
Edited by Maxwell Awumah /Kenneth Odeng Adade