Why prison officers are admitting adults in juvenile facilities

The Head, Education and Counselling of the Ghana Prisons Service, Chief Superintendent Mrs Victoria Adzewodah, has asked for the legal backing for prison officers at the Senior Correctional Facility to determine the ages of those sent to them.

She said although officers were not supposed to look at the physique of those brought into their charge, but only the medical report bearing the age, with the documents for receiving the inmates, some brought to them most often were obviously adults.

She said because a valid detention order, a social enquiry report, a police removal form and a medical report were the only forms legally permissible in receiving the inmates, officers of the facility were forced to accept adults.

Mrs Adzewodah said this in her presentation on the Senior Correctional Centre at a roundtable discussion.

It was organised by the Centre for Democratic Governance (CDD-Ghana) on the theme, Juvenile Justice System in Ghana: Meeting the objectives of Ghana's correctional centres.

It is part of the CDD-Ghana's strategic plans for the next five years to get Ghanaians engaged in a conversation on the system and the progress of it.