Minister for Interior Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak has highlighted the government’s commitment to transforming the Prisons Service into a modern correctional facility that focuses on rehabilitation, reformation, and reintegration.

Speaking at the passing-out parade of Recruit Course 125 at Ankaful Prison Officers' Training School in the Central Region, the minister pointed out that correctional facilities must become centers of reform and not just detention.

The minister stated, "It is not an act of charity but a strategic investment in national security and human capital. When we empower an inmate with employable skills, we reduce the opportunity for that inmate to re-offend. Rehabilitation and reformation do not occur in isolation but must be linked to purposeful activity."

To give practical effect to this policy, Honourable Muntaka announced that the government will scale up support for prison-based ventures, such as carpentry, tailoring, agriculture, and industrial operations, including bottled water production, which will be central to a sustainable, self-reliant correctional economy.

The minister also directed all institutions under the Ministry of Interior to prioritize the purchase of bottled water and toilet rolls produced by the Ghana Prisons Service.

This, he said, will not only reduce the financial burden on the state but also generate revenue and promote inmates’ productivity.

He reassured the leadership and personnel of the Ghana Prisons Service of the government’s unwavering support, emphasizing that their commitment goes beyond improving logistics and infrastructure to reforming the very foundation of correctional practice in Ghana.

Honourable Muntaka urged the new officers to serve with integrity, compassion, and professionalism, and assured them that their actions would reflect the high standards of the Service and the trust the nation has placed in them.

Stakeholders have expressed concerns over congestion in Ghana’s prisons, as well as the treatment meted out to inmates. The quality of food and a healthy environment have been a challenge for the Prisons Service.

Former Member of Parliament for Tano North constituency, Honourable Freda Prempeh raised concerns over the persistent congestion in Ghana’s prisons, despite longstanding discussions about reforms aimed at decongesting facilities and improving conditions for inmates.

The former legislator, who previously served as a prison officer, noted inadequate budgetary allocations, low feeding rates for inmates, a growing remand population, poor healthcare delivery, unsanitary conditions, and the absence of reformation, learning, and vocational training facilities.

In addition, she pointed to poor working conditions for prison staff, a lack of decent accommodation for personnel, and slow judicial processes that prolong the stay of remand prisoners. The former legislator also expressed concern over the absence of an electronic national database to track and manage inmate records effectively.

To address these challenges, she proposed the construction of prison hospitals and clinics in every region with an inmate population of 1,000 or more. She stressed that these facilities should be equipped with adequate staffing and logistics to deliver quality healthcare to inmates.

While advocating for long-term infrastructure development, she also recommended that existing prison infirmaries be adequately resourced in the interim.

She called for the Ghana Prisons Service to be supported with logistics to take over the transportation of remand prisoners to court, a responsibility that could help expedite trials and ease overcrowding.

The former MP further suggested the construction of separate detention centers to house remand prisoners and convicts separately, a move he believes will aid ongoing decongestion efforts. She also proposed that inmates nearing the end of their sentences be transitioned into halfway houses, community restitution programs, and work-release centers.

Government officials have initiated talks on the possible relocation of the Kumasi Central Prisons as part of a broader strategy to tackle congestion in both the correctional facility and the city of Kumasi.

Ashanti Regional Minister Dr. Frank Amoakohene has disclosed that although the proposal has not yet been formally presented to President Mahama, preliminary engagements are ongoing.

The Kumasi Central Prisons, originally built to accommodate 500 inmates, is currently housing more than 1,700, placing immense strain on both infrastructure and personnel.