[ 2014-08-31 ]

Interior Minister proposes non custodian sentences
Navrongo (U/E), Aug 30, GNA - Mr Mark Woyongo,
Minister of the Interior on Friday, proposed the
establishment of non custodian sentences, as part
of measures to help decongest the country’s
prisons.

The Minister, who is also the Member of Parliament
for Navrongo Central, made the proposal when he
visited the Navrongo Central Prison to familiarize
with the situation at the prisons and see how it
could be improved.

Most of the prisoners, who were suspected
criminals, said they had been in prison for four
to five years without trial. They complained that
they were not properly fed and had little or no
soap to bath and wash their clothes with.

The Prison, which is dilapidated and unclean, has
a capacity to contain only 80 inmates but
presently accommodating 217 inmates. They have
access to only one toilet and one bathroom.

Mr Woyongo said plans were underway to hold a
stakeholders meeting to chart a way forward to see
how the laws could be reviewed to address the
challenges confronting the country’s prisons and
expressed hope that most of the challenges could
be ironed out.

He cited instances where suspected criminals were
kept in prisons for a number of years without
trial and said that was a gross violation of their
fundamental human rights that could be curtailed
with the introduction of non custodian sentences.

The Interior Minister described the daily feeding
grant of GHC1.80 for prisoners as woefully
inadequate and said his Ministry would advocate
for the increment of the grant to help feed the
prisoners better.

He issued a directive to the management of the
Navrongo prison to ensure that the sanitary
conditions of the place was improved by expanding
the bath room and the toilet and gave the
assurance that a bus would be provided to the
prison to ease the transportation problem.

The Interior Minister disclosed that the Ministry
had received a proposal from Brazil, which intends
putting up complex structures including facilities
such as workshops and schools, among others, for
the country’s prisons.

He added that plans were also far advanced with
the British Government to upgrade the structures
of the Ankafo and Nsawam prisons to a befitting
status and entreated the prisoners to take the
opportunity given to them to acquire vocational
skills, so that when they finish serving their
sentences they could be integrated well into
society.

The Interior Minister, who was accompanied by his
Deputy, Mr James Agalga and other Service
Commanders, admonished the inmates to stay away
from crimes after being released since that could
send them back to prison.

The Prisoners expressed gratitude to the Minister
and his entourage for the visit and pleaded with
the Minister to fulfill the promises he made to
them.

Source - GNA

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