The government is retooling the Ghana Prisons Service to improve operational efficiency and the welfare of officers, the Vice President, Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, has said.
She said the retooling formed part of ongoing reforms to boost efficiency, strengthen officer welfare and enhance the dignity of inmates across the country.
Prof. Opoku-Agyemang stated this when the Ghana Prisons Service commissioned 265 new officers under the Officer Cadet Course Intake 32 in Accra yesterday, and said the government had introduced the Think Prisons 360 Initiative.
She said the objective of government was not just about improving structures but reshaping the very spirit of the correctional system.
The Vice President said the initiative was designed to make the service modern, secure and self-sustaining.
“It focuses on technology-driven operations, job creation through agriculture and manufacturing, and enterprise development that can generate revenue internally,” she explained.
The Vice President said the government was working to build a correctional system that supported national development while also changing public perceptions about the service.
She said work was already underway to create the conditions for large-scale production of textiles, furniture, sanitary items and construction materials.
Those ventures, the Vice President said, would not only create jobs but also help grow the service’s revenue base.
“The idea is to turn the period of incarceration into an opportunity for skill building and innovation rather than stagnation,” she stated.
The Vice President said the Prison Improvement and Sustainability Fund, and a new Prison Improvement and Sustainability Pesewa Fund, were expected to support skills training, work placement and reintegration programmes for inmates.
She said the recent amnesty granted to 998 inmates was part of wider efforts to decongest the prisons and create humane conditions for the inmates.
In total, 265 officer cadets made up of 162 males and 103 females were commissioned into the senior officer corps as Assistant Superintendents of Prisons.
Professor Opoku-Agyemang congratulated the outstanding graduates who received special awards for excellence. She urged all newly commissioned officers to uphold integrity, compassion and discipline as they begin their careers.
BY AGNES OPOKU SARPONG
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