Ghana's prisons not fit for habitation … AI research reveals
By: Tim Hinchliffe
Acting Director General of the Ghana Prisons Service Michael Bansah
Lauretta Vivian Lamptey CHRAJ
William Kwasi Aboah Interior Minister
A research conducted in six of prisons in Ghana by Amnesty International has revealed that the facilities have rundown, are overcrowded, and therefore, need urgent reforms. A report issued after the researchers visited Nsawam, Tamale, Sunyani, Kumasi and Sekondi prisons, indicates that prisoners are facing conditions which do not meet international standards.
'These conditions also include inadequate infrastructure and sanitation, insufficient food and healthcare, and the alarming amount of remand inmates who have been imprisoned without trial or conviction,' the report noted.
The researchers include Mr. Lawrence Amesu, Director of Amnesty International Ghana, and colleagues from researchers on health and detention from the London office, Mr. James Welsh, and Ms. Lisa Nikolaus.
The report, which was unveiled in Accra yesterday, also reveals inadequate infrastructure and sanitation, insufficient food and healthcare, and the alarming amount of remand inmates who have been imprisoned without trial or conviction.
'Approximately 3,000 inmates are remand prisoners. Some of them have been there for years without ever realising what their crime was. The law requires that a person may only be held for up to 48 hours without being charged, but in some cases of remand prisoners, their cases have been completely forgotten,' noted the report.
The visitors also noted that 'prison overcrowding is acute in some prisons, and requires urgent attention by the government. While some prisoners have beds, others are forced to sleep on the floor. Prisoners showed Amnesty International (AI) how they were forced to sleep on their sides, in lines covering the floor, head-to-toe like sardines in some particularly crowded cells.'
'It is unacceptable to lock up prisoners for 12 hours a day, 365 days a year in cells intended to hold half, a third, or a quarter of the numbers actually squeezed into dark, poorly ventilated and unhygienic spaces,' said Mr. James Welsh.
Overpopulation and poor sanitation are compromising the health of the prisoners. There are complaints of skin diseases, malaria, and asthma, to which they have little or no access to medication.
All inmates sharing a cell must use the same toilet, and that means tip-toeing over the sleeping prisoners at night and then trying to squeeze back into their spot once they return.
'Our cell - the place where we sleep - is where we urinate and go to the toilet. You don't get privacy. You have to use the bucket,' said one remand prisoner to Amnesty International.
The lack of funds for Ghana's prisons contributes greatly to its many human rights issues. Both staff and prisoners complained about the inadequate budget for food for prisoners, which has been less than GH¢1 per day.
'The recent government decision to increase spending on food for prisoners - from GH¢0.60 to GH¢1.80 cedi per day per prisoner - is a welcome step, but more measures to improve standards are needed,' declared Welsh, after listing and describing the various human rights concerns in Ghana's prisons, and offered alternative strategies to improve those conditions, with a focus on inmate reduction and reform.
'There are other ways to deal with crime,' said Welsh. He listed some alternatives to imprisonment that had been applied in other countries around the world with positive results. Welsh said that instead of sending everybody to prison, they should look at the seriousness of the crime, and address it accordingly.
He advocated imposing more fines if the accused could afford it, suspended sentences, and parole for those who exhibit good behaviour.
Another alternative mentioned would be sentencing a perpetrator to community service. This would reduce prison population, as well as have a positive and cost-saving effect on society. 'We believe that those accused of a crime should have access to a lawyer, and should be regarded as innocent until proven guilty (…) I recommend that punishment should be minimal, comparable with the interest of justice and public security,' said Welsh, adding, 'you don't impose heavy sentences just because they are available under the law.'
Rehabilitation and reform are important goals of punishment that Mr. Welsh could not emphasise enough. 'If we want to turn prisons into universities of crime, then unless we address reform, that's exactly what they'll become,' he said.
Reformation and rehabilitation are crucial in reintroducing inmates back into society. What happens when a prisoner serves his term in an environment of filth, and whose only education is how to become a better criminal from fellow inmates? What happens when that person is released back into society? He will continue to commit crimes and end up in an endless cycle that continues to drain government funds from other much-needed concerns of the population.
Many Ghanaians have the perception that once someone has been to prison, they are outcasts of society. Whether they are wrongfully accused, embezzlers, petty thieves, armed robbers, rapists, or murderers, no matter what the circumstances, they are labeled as such for life.
It is a common belief that whatever happens to people in prison is part of the punishment, and it is exactly what they deserve. However, once you are sent to prison, only your freedom is legally taken away - not your dignity, self-worth, or basic human rights. The moment a human being is incarcerated, it is the government that assumes the responsibility for his or her welfare.
'When offenders go to prison, that is the punishment. You go to prison as punishment. Your loss of liberty is the punishment,' Mr. Welsh succinctly stated. In other words, that is the extent of the punishment. To be subjected to inhumane and foul living conditions is not part of the punishment. Those are faults of the government that need to be corrected.
According to him education, training, and acquiring skills are the only means by which someone can become a functioning member of society, and that there are some who are not fortunate enough to have been able to go to school.
He also noted that some might learn a certain trade from their family or friends, but some feel they are forced to live a life of crime.
'There are training schemes within the prison system, but these are undercut by the poor conditions, the limited range of activities for prisoners, and the shortages of resources,' said Welsh.
Not all inmates are susceptible to reform. Some of their lives have been hardened by years of abuse and lifetimes of hatred. However, the more prisoners are given a chance to learn new skills and are trained in a profession or trade, the more it will give them an incentive to positively contribute to society. This is what Amnesty International advocates.
Also present at the launch was a 32-year old ex-inmate, who informed The Chronicle of his own personal experiences at the Sekondi Prison. He wished to remain anonymous for fear of losing his job.
He was 28 when he was given a fair trial and convicted of theft. In the three years and four months he served, he was crammed into a cell with 15 people, which capacity should not have exceeded three.
'We would eat three times a day,' the man said, 'but that is not food!' There was a dog there one time, and a sample was given to the dog, and he would not eat it.'
Concerning personal health, the former prisoner explained that he had an inner ear infection and skin rashes, but the major problem was malaria outbreaks. Treatment for the rashes required the application of ointment three times per day, but they would only get it once per day if lucky.
'The staff - they see us as the enemy,' the 32-year old explained. 'They don't just wake up and beat you, normally.' The officials who handed out punishment were called the 'Black Coats,' who would apply clubs, whips, and rubber hoses when they felt it was necessary.