Harness prison inmates with entrepreneurial skills while serving their jail term in safe custody is a prerequisite needed for building a resilient nation as part of rehabilitation.
However, rehabilitation aims at re-establishing the character or reputation of the offender by planning, programming and working to restore and set the person up again in a socially required condition.
Importantly, this thrives on the principle of the acceptance of the prisoner as a subject of learning and interaction in his environment and to put in practicable (personal and collective) efforts to provide the prisoner with opportunities to developing social and technical skills, to prevent idleness and mental frustration, and to restore him or her to the appropriate social capacity.
Zooming at this in a wider perspective, the Ghana Prisons Service, over the years has laudably contributed to rehabilitating inmates with various skills acquisition that has helped them to be great entrepreneurs.
It is therefore ardent to note that, providing essential skills training to inmates has an impact in contributing to a law abiding and peaceful society and nation at large.
Undoubtedly, for a nation’s workforce to thrive and enhance its economic bouyancy, there is the need to invest into its youthful population human resources.
On the flip side of the aforementioned scenario, the over 40 prison establishments in Ghana are tremendously investing into the lives of inmates to acquire entrepreneurial skills as part of the service’s mandate to reform them to be useful citizens in the society when discharged.
Rehabilitation through entrepreneurial skill acquisition
It is imperative to attest to the fact that, the operations of the Ghana Prisons Service has an important role on the lives and future of over 13,000 inmates made up of the youth working force receiving employable skills while serving their term.
The Ghana Prisons Service, notable for the exceptional role it plays in the criminal justice system never relents on its effort to provide the best service required and since the prisons establishment is not only an institution for punishment, it serves as a haven for hope through rehabilitation and reformation.
The service has, over the years, made efforts at this function through training prisoners in vocational and trade learning skills (such as carpentry, farming, masonry, electrical works, weaving, draughtsmanship, ceramics, shoe making, tailoring among other buoyant economic activities) in a bid to equip inmates with skills that can make them self-sufficient when discharged back into the society.
In some camp prisons, inmates are taken through modern techniques and practices in agriculture, farming, poultry and livestock rearing.
As a beacon of hope for inmates, rehabilitation offers them alternative opportunities for them to realise that, there are better ways of living other than indulging in crime activities to earn income.
The service has considered that, entrepreneurship is a catalyst for economic growth, job creation and social transformation where inmates’ welfare are prioritised to straighten their paths and refrain them from re-offending.
Though some friends and families would be feeling disenchanted, knowing very well that their wards would be spending their productive years in prison, the myriad of hope assured to them is that, their wards or loved ones would be discharged as skillful entrepreneurs.
It is noteworthy that, when inmates are provided with employable skills, it helps them to unleash innovative skills and adequately prepare them for the job market where it also helps in fostering their reintegration into society as useful citizens.
Rehabilitation as a pivotal function
It is prudent to note that, rehabilitation is a core mandate of the Ghana Prisons Service in the management of Prisons.
According to Section (1) sub-Section (i ) of the Prisons Service Decree, NRCD 46 of 1972, it shall be the duty of the Prisons Service to ensure the safe custody and welfare of prisoners and whenever practicable to undertake the reformation and rehabilitation of prisoners.
This connotes that, the Prisons Service is enjoined to perform four major functions which outlines as;
1. Safe custody of prisoners
2. Welfare of prisoners
3. Reformation of prisoners
4. Rehabilitation of prisoners
Concerted Efforts/ Commitments by Ghana Prisons Service
The Ghana Prisons Service, under the able leadership of its Indefatigable Director-General, Mrs Patience Baffoe-Bonnie Esq. has constantly been putting measures in place and creating an enabling environment for inmates to become self-sufficient after serving their jail term.
With staunch commitment towards transformative programmes for inmates, the Ghana Prisons Service has created the platform for inmates to rebuild their lives through various skills acquisition ranging from agric productions, fish farming, soap and detergent making, juice processing and packaging, bamboo bags, shoe making among several fascinating products made by inmates.
In order to do more with the available government support, the existing trainings would receive outstanding facelift when there is adequate partnership and support from corporate entities, benevolent donors among other organisations.
That notwithstanding, you would be astonished to see the kind of fascinating goods and services these inmates produce under the stewardship of officers who train them to churn out the best products for public consumption.
Ghana Prisons Service doing the yeoman’s job
The Ghana Prisons Service as a key stakeholder of the Criminal Justice System of Ghana contributes to the maintenance of internal security by maintaining an efficient, humane, and safe reformatory penal system operated within the laws of Ghana.
The service prides in humanity, vigilance, fortitude, and integrity while helping in the reintegration of ex-convicts into society.
Currently, the service has 46 prison establishments located in all the 16 regions of Ghana, and at the apex is the Prisons Headquarters in the Greater Accra Region which also houses the Director-General of Prisons and her two Deputies, seven Directors of Prisons and other notable office holders.
The Ghana Prisons Service works in close partnership with other stakeholders in the Criminal Justice System to achieve sterling results in correctional practices that promotes diversity.
The Ghana Prisons Service executes sentences in a humane manner in order to reduce recidivism (re-offending).
This piece is just a tip of an iceberg of the marvelous contributions embarked on by the Ghana Prisons Service to boost national development through inmates’ rehabilitation.
The Writer is an Assistant Superintendent of Prisons
BY ASP ALFRED NII ARDAY ANKRAH
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