Story: Mary Ankrah
Four hundred and forty-three recruits of the Ghana Prisons Service (GPS) passed out in Accra yesterday.
Of the number, 258 are men and 185 women.
The figure brings to 1,500 new personnel recruited into the service this year to enhance the staff strength and operational capacity of the service.
The Deputy Director-General in charge of Operations of the GPS, Mr Benjamin Quaye, said the service was reviewing its programmes to effectively reform and rehabilitate prisoners, particularly the youth, with education and skills training, as well as offer the inmates opportunities for self-improvement.
That way, he said, prisoners would be able to live meaningful and self-supporting lives after their discharge.
Mr Quaye was, however, unhappy that ex-convicts continued to face rejection and stigmatisation from their families, friends and the public after their release.
“This unfortunate situation rather worsens the already broken self-worth of ex-convicts and adversely affects the process of reintegration,” he said.
According to him, as a result of that unfortunate situation, there was a continuous cycle of re-offending among ex-convicts, a development which posed a threat to the safety of society.
Mr Quaye, therefore, advised Ghanaians to change their perception and attitude towards prison systems and prisoners, stating, “After all, imprisonment must not mean an end to what life can offer.”
Special awards were presented to four recruits, with Recruit Officer (RO) Alfred Ablade Okasa-Ashong taking the overall best recruit award, RO Faizal Assani, the best recruit in drills, RO Besam Philemon Bekyaatuur, the Commandant’s award and RO Isaac Barnabas Amuesi, the best in academics.
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