The Director-General of the Ghana Prisons Service, Mrs. Patience Baffoe-Bonnie, has called for increased investment and stronger institutional support to enhance inmate reformation and reintegration programmes across the country.
Mrs. Baffoe-Bonnie made the appeal when she appeared before Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) at Parliament House on Tuesday as part of efforts to promote financial accountability, strengthen institutional controls and improve operational efficiency within the Service.
The session brought together officials from various directorates of the Ghana Prisons Service, members of the Committee, other Members of Parliament and representatives of sister security agencies.
Addressing the Committee, the Director-General highlighted several challenges confronting the Service, particularly inadequate funding for inmate rehabilitation initiatives. She advocated increased government support, stronger partnerships with industries, the digitisation of prison operations, expanded skills development opportunities for inmates and improved remuneration for prison officers.
According to her, these interventions are essential to enhancing prison administration and ensuring the successful reintegration of inmates into society after serving their sentences.
Chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee, Hon. Abena Osei-Asare, commended the Ghana Prisons Service for its efforts despite the challenges it faces. She urged the government to address the institution’s operational constraints and emphasised the need to strengthen support systems for inmates.
She also underscored the importance of tackling persistent reintegration challenges and reducing recidivism through sustained rehabilitation programmes and stakeholder collaboration.
The Minister for the Interior, Hon. Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, provided the Committee with insights into the Prisons Improvement and Sustainability Pesewa Fund (PISPES Fund), an initiative aimed at supporting the development and sustainability of prison operations.
He further encouraged the Chairperson of the Committee to visit prison facilities across the country to gain first-hand knowledge of the challenges facing the Service and to mobilise support from other parliamentary committees.
The engagement highlighted the critical role of adequate funding, policy support and inter-agency collaboration in strengthening prison operations, improving inmate welfare and advancing rehabilitation and reintegration efforts within Ghana’s correctional system.