High Commissioner commends Prisons Ambassador Extraordinaire

Accra, Aug. 28, GNA - Mr Jon Benjamin, the British High Commissioner to Ghana, has commended Mr Ibrahim Oppong Kwarteng, Ghana Prisons Service "Ambassador Extraordinaire' for his initiative to educate the youth on the conditions in prison.

The 'Ambassador Extraordinaire' would launch the 'Stop Crime Campaign' to educate the youth about the deplorable prison conditions to deter them from engaging in crime.

The 'Ambassador Extraordinaire' is a broadcast journalist with the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, who is committed to give voice to voiceless prisoners and creating awareness of the challenges facing the Prison Service.

Mr Benjamin made this known when Mr Kwarteng paid a courtesy call on the High Commissioner at his office.

He said the Commission has supported the Ghana Prisons Services in various ways to execute the rehabilitation and reformation agenda of the services.

The Commission has also donated two buses to convey remand prisoners from Nsawam prisons to the various courts.

'We have also supported the Justice for All Programme, refurbished the infirmary, built a high court at Nsawam and launched the alternative sentencing guidelines policy,' he added.

Mr Benjamin encouraged Mr Kwarteng to endeavour to do more to curb crime in the country.

Mr Kwarteng later told the Ghana News Agency that he would take the campaign to churches, schools and mosques to share with the public the living conditions of prisoners.

'Majority of the youth do not have any idea about prison living conditions,' he added.

Mr Kwarteng's latest documentary on prison conditions titled 'A Neglected Potential' moved the President, John Dramani Mahama to the Nsawam prison to see at firsthand, the deplorable living conditions to enable him to push for a higher budgetary allocation for the Prisons Service.

GNA