Work on remand inmates intensified

Published in the Daily Graphic on 22/12/2009, pg 3

Story: Matilda Attram

THE effort to rid the country’s prisons of the hundreds of remand inmates under the Justice for All Programme is to be intensified next year to meet the target of 50 per cent releases by June.
Towards that goal, the Ghana Prisons Service is working with other government agencies and stakeholders to reduce the population of remand prisoners by increasing the pace at which cases are reviewed under the criminal justice system.
The acting Director-General of the Ghana Prisons Service, Mr Michael Kofi Bansah, disclosed this at the 2009 Greater Accra Regional West African Security Services Association (WASSA) get-together in Accra.
He said the criminal justice system, which is being implemented by the Prisons Service, the courts, the Police Service, among other governmental agencies, had been asked to review remand cases under its jurisdiction to ensure the enforcement of the Justice for All Programme.
The enforcement of the programme is expected to be sponsored by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to enable the government to improve the conditions of prison staff and inmates.
Mr Bansah mentioned inadequate accommodation for prison staff, poor conditions of service for staff and lack of co-operation from the public as some major challenges facing the service.
“It is a fact that due to poor remuneration levels in the service, the financial situation of officers is not the best and officers who retire cannot live comfortable lives on retirement. But we hope to take advantage of the ongoing pension reforms and the operations of the credit union, benevolent and welfare funds to improve on our savings,” he said.
He indicated that the organisation was also expected to focus its attention on career development programmes to re-train its staff to professionally discharge their expected duties.
He encouraged all staff of the organisation to unite in discharging their duties and improve on their ICT knowledge to transform the operations of the service.
In her welcoming address, the Regional Commander of the Greater Accra Prisons Service, Mrs Elizabeth King, urged the staff to use the occasion to reflect on past activities, improve on successes chalked up, as well as make amends on failures.