Prison commanders urged to tackle challenges
Commanders of the country’s Prisons have been charged to come up with innovative initiatives that will help tackle problems confronting their respective wards.
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The Director of Prisons Service in charge of Human Resource, Mr Kwame Kumah Kpeli, said such actions would help the service overcome some of its challenges.
At the inauguration of the Koforidua Prisons Canteen, Mr Kpeli observed that challenges including congestion, long period of remands, feeding, health care, accommodation challenges among others could easily be tackled if the commanders critically developed strategies to solve them.
Construction
The idea of the Koforidua Prisons canteen for the prison staff was agreed on at a durbar of officers in January last year after which a technical committee was inaugurated to advise on the project.
It consequently recommended a deduction of GH¢50 from prison staff, while additional funds were sourced from welfare funds as well as benevolent individuals.
Services
Besides servicing food and drinks, there is space for physical training, while private individuals and corporate organisations could rent space for their events.
Mr Kpeli commended the officer in charge and staff of the Koforidua Prison and challenged all commanders to come up with similar initiatives to help address some challenges the Prisons faced, since the government alone could not assume all the responsibilities.
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“This is what I expect from all commanders, to have home-grown solutions to your peculiar needs and challenges confronting you at your stations. I expect from you the OIC to come up with various initiatives and innovations to tackle the myriad of problems confronting you at your respective stations,” he stressed.
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Mr Kpeli also asked the officers to always be reminded of the aim and objective of establishing the canteen which was to provide decent and affordable meals and not to indulge in alcoholism as anyone caught violating the service’s rules and regulations would be dealt with accordingly.
Recreation
The Director in charge of the Prisons, Assistant Director of Prisons, (ADP) Benedict Bob Dery, said the provision of the canteen became imperative to meet the recreational and welfare needs of staff.
He noted that the authorities of the prisons were making giant strides aimed at improving the welfare of both inmates and staff and making the Koforidua Prisons the most comfortable establishment with well-motivated staff.
The canteen management committee presented a citation to ADP Dery for his vision and hard work which had raised the image of the prison.