The Chairman of Parliament’s Select Committee on Human Rights, Ernest Yaw Enim, has appealed to the government to urgently settle the debt of over GH¢506,000 owed by the Nsawam Medium Security Prison in medical bills.
He described the situation as a serious violation of the rights of inmates to health and life, calling for immediate intervention.
Mr Enim made the call during a familiarisation visit to the prison yesterday by members of the committee.
The visit formed part of their oversight role to monitor the country’s compliance with international human rights treaties and to follow up on recommendations from the last Universal Periodic Review (UPR) at the United Nations, which flagged poor prison conditions in Ghana.
“This visit has opened our minds to a lot of issues. We’ve listened to the concerns of inmates, the Director of Operations, and officers in charge. Immediate action is clearly needed,” he said.
The Nsawam facility, originally built to house 717 inmates, currently holds over 3,500 -more than four times its intended capacity.
Mr Enim described the overcrowding as unacceptable, warning that it posed serious threats to inmates’ welfare and dignity.
In addition to overcrowding, the committee expressed concern about the inadequate feeding budget for inmates, which stands at GH¢1.80 per prisoner per day for three meals.
On his part, Member of Parliament for Madina Constituency, Francis-Xavier Sosu, appealed to the President, John Dramani Mahama, to grant amnesty to inmates on death row at the Nsawam facility.
He said the President must exercise his constitutional prerogative of mercy, particularly for those who have spent more than a decade in condemned cells without commutation.
“These individuals have already spent 10 to 15 years in condemned cells. If we stick to the old system—10 years before life, then another 10 before a definite term—it will result in grave injustice,” he said.
He proposed that the President commute existing death sentences not only to life imprisonment but to fixed terms such as 25 years, to reflect the spirit of Article 17 of the 1992 Constitution, which guarantees equality before the law.
FROM STEPHANIE BIRIKORANG, NSAWAM
