N/R Commander of Prisons Addresses Prisons Officers

ADDRESS DELIVERED BY THE NORTHERN REGIONAL COMMANDER, GHANA PRISONS SERVICE, ACP ABUNDANT ROBERT AWOLUGUTU DURING A GENERAL DURBAR HELD WITH PRISON ESTABLISHMENTS WITHIN THE REGION ON SEPTEMBER 12TH, 2014

Deputy Regional Commander, All Officers-Incharge, Superior Officers and other lieutenants of my administration, Subordinate Officers present and our friends from the media; I have the distinguished honour and privilege to warmly welcome all of you to my maiden general durbar with officers drawn from all the prison establishments within the region since I took over command from my predecessor as the Regional commander for the region.

Customarily, such occasions present an opportunity to extend gratitude to individuals and institutions whose support and goodwill inure to the success story of the Service in the region. The Regional Coordinating Council, the courts and other sister security services need mentioning for their assistance to the prisons in the region.

This durbar is being held to enable us rededicate our efforts and channel our energies towards our core mandate as a social control agency within the region i.e. ensuring the safe custody of prisoners and execution of sentences in a humane manner; ensuring their welfare through the protection of their rights and providing them with good health care, clothing, bedding, feeding, recreational and library facilities, among other amenities; and also ensuring their reformation and rehabilitation by offering them opportunities to develop their skills through trade training and moral education.

I will also like to use this platform to appeal to the government and the general public to come to the aid of the service and assist to help make the region and Ghana our mother land a safe place to live in.

To achieve our core mandate men and women of the service must be professional in the performance of their duties. We must be abreast with the service standing orders, regulations and service decree, and above all Ghana's constitution so as not to violate the rights of our prisoners. Most at times officers who are not well-informed on these legislatures find themselves wanting in the performance of their duties. This has dented the image of the service on some occasions.

I also appeal to you once again to be duty conscious and vigilant in carrying out your duties. It is our duty to prevent prisoners from escaping from lawful custody. Our tools for achieving this include perpetual vigilance, close supervision of inmates at all times, regular inspections of cells, workshops and entire premises to deal with contraband articles, make prison environment safe and engage the inmates with useful activities that focus on their personal development. Most officers have run into problems because of the absence of these virtues when on duty. Their negligence has resulted in the escape of offenders of the country's constitutional law bringing the service into public ridicule.

It must also be stressed that prisoners are human beings and must be treated with dignity. They have rights and we as officials of the service must ensure that these rights are protected; under no circumstances should any prisoner be subjected to dehumanizing treatment. I must sound this word of caution to all officers who are fond of maltreating prisoners to put a stop to it, for when caught they could face service enquiry and appropriate disciplinary action or handed over to the police for the law to have its full course. Be reminded that no law enforcement official is above the law.

You should also know that people are sent to prison as a punishment and not for punishment. The prison rules must always be read and explained to the understanding of prison inmates. Prisoners have a right to complain about unfavourable prison conditions and prison managers must give them a hearing and take appropriate steps to address their concerns. No prisoner can be sanctioned for breach of prison discipline without due process in accordance with prison regulations. There must be due diligence with respect to the application of sanctions prescribed by law.

Also officers who indulge in trafficking (illegal dealings) with inmates are hereby warned to desist from such acts for when we lay hands on you; you will be brought to book and dealt with in accordance with service regulations. My administration will not shield any officer who willfully engages in criminal acts; they will be handed over to the police for prosecution.

Furthermore I also urge officers to live above reproach and avoid attitudes that compromise their integrity and discipline as officers. We must eschew such bad habits as alcoholism, lateness to work, absenteeism, unnecessary sick reporting, the abuse of narcotic drugs which can undermine your ability to live up to expectation as officers tasked with the mandate to reform and rehabilitate inmates. Let us show by word and deed that we are indeed role models and correction officers. We cannot afford to let down the Service and our nation.

As a way of enhancing our public image officers are called upon to behave with civility at all times especially when dealing with members of the public. An officer is an officer whether off duty or on duty and as such we are expected to put up a high standard of behavior befitting our status as correction officers.

Our work is a demanding one, hence the need for officers to remain physically great and healthy. We should exercise our bodies and eat well to be in good shape to boost our ability to perform at peak levels. We should balance work with life so as to keep stress at the barest minimum.

Even though the service has performed notably well in ensuring the safe custody and welfare of prisoners, the main challenge that confronts the service is a persistent lack of funds. Due to the insufficient budget allocation from government Reformation and Rehabilitation Programmes are non-existent in some prison establishments and those that do exist are dying out, with most prisoners generally unskilled and unmotivated as they leave prison. There are many deficiencies to be corrected and funding is needed for the programmes to be effective.

Severe underfunding has impacted negatively on our ability to adequately resource existing workshops/trades, procure machines and materials for the start-ups of new ones to effectively train prisoners, giving them a brighter future after their discharge and prevent reoffending which leads to recidivism.

The Prisons Service can only be said to be effective as a social control agency if inmates are equipped with employable skills that facilitate their successful integration and reduce reoffending.

Other challenges that face the service include prison overcrowding, poor prison infrastructure, lack of vehicles for both administrative and prisoners use, and lack of suitable accommodation facilities to house officers.

Promotions at senior management level have come to a halt thus creating despondency and de-motivation. Some senior members of the service have been on their ranks for long periods that range between 8 and 10 years which does not augur well for career progression and personal development. Some have even retired without receiving promotions that were long overdue. This unfortunate situation has brought about both internal and external exodus with officers leaving the service for other organizations with better salaries and welfare packages.

The 1992 constitution makes provision for the establishment of a Prisons Service Council to formulate policies and guidelines and to undertake periodic inspections of prison facilities and deal with cases of unjustified treatment.

I humbly appeal to His Excellency the President of the Republic of Ghana to give serious consideration to the reconstitution of the Prisons Service Council to assist the Controller General of Prisons to champion the cause of the service.

The service also suffers a lack of support from the public to reform and reintegrate prisoners after their release. Public spirited individuals, civil society organizations, local and international NGOs and corporate bodies should support the service either in cash or kind towards prisoner rehabilitation projects.

The public should change its negative attitude towards ex-prisoners. The rejection of ex-convicts by society is seriously hampering our efforts in the social rehabilitation and integration of discharged inmates.

There is the need for legislative reforms to make prisons real centres of correction and rehabilitation. We need to expunge from our statute books the provision that debars ex-prisoners from being employed by the state.

We appeal to the government to increase the budgetary allocation of the service and also provide us with vehicles for administrative duties and also for prisoners use.

Government should give us a hospital akin to what prevails in the military and the police.

Additionally we need a Prisons Staff College for the training of senior members of the service.

We again appeal to the government to give officers the opportunity to go on refresher courses and exchange programmes to upgrade their knowledge on new methods, processes and standards of prison administration and handling of prisoners. Such programmes I believe will bring the level of experience and knowledge of officers to international standards and best practices.

The current feeding rate of GHC1.80 per prisoner per day is woefully inadequate and needs to be increased.

Our work is as difficult as the work of the other role players in the criminal justice system. We humbly ask for reasonable parity in terms of salary and welfare packages as it obtains in the police and the military.

In conclusion, government should resource the Prisons Service with the needed funds and logistics to enable it discharge its statutory obligations in contributing to the maintenance of internal security in the country. Such a move will go a long way to improve the living conditions of our prisoners and prison officials.

Thank you and may God bless us all.
Robert K. AWOLUGUTU
ASST. CONT. OF PRISONS/REGIONAL COMMANDER
TAMALE CENTRAL PRISONS-N/R
Mob: 0208 455 296
Email: [email protected]