At the handing over ceremony of medical equipment procured by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to the Ghana Prisons Service, the Minister for the Interior, Hon. Ambrose Dery stated that Government is taking measures to improve prison conditions through the completion of various projects aimed at alleviating overcrowding in the prisons.
Hon. Ambrose Dery noted that the handing-over ceremony marked a stride in Government’s quest to provide essential healthcare and uphold the dignity of our incarcerated brothers and sisters. “The right to good health is a fundamental human entitlement, encapsulated in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3, which emphasizes ensuring healthy lives and promoting the well-being of all. The Government of Ghana is committed to fulfilling its health mandate for the entire population”, he stated.
According to him, the Ghana Prisons Service has a constitutional mandate to ensure the safe custody, welfare, reformation, and rehabilitation of inmates, and plays an indispensable role in the nation’s Criminal Justice System, contributing significantly to overall public safety.
This he said, is evident through initiatives such as skills acquisition programs under the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (NEIP) and educational programs for inmates, with some inmates enrolling in tertiary institutions, contributing to prisoner welfare and rehabilitation.
The Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in Accra, Mr. Rolf Olson who was also present at the event stated that the presentation formed part of efforts to support Ghana to have humane prison systems. He applauded Ghana’s efforts to strengthen the prison service.
The UN Resident Coordinator, Mr. Charles Abani commended Government for working towards introducing legislature to reform prison service in the country. He further called on the Ghana Prisons Service to continue to strengthen prison management in line with the Nelson Mandela rules.
