The Member of Parliament for Wa West, Peter Lanchene Toobu, has called for a national discussion on conditions in Ghana’s prisons, insisting that inmates must be treated with dignity regardless of the offences for which they are serving sentences.
His comments follow calls by former New Patriotic Party (NPP) Ashanti Regional Chairman Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, for major reforms in the country’s correctional system.
Speaking on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem, Mr Toobu said prisons serve two important purposes: protecting the public by keeping offenders away from society and helping them reform before returning to their communities.
“The prison is built for human beings, not animals. People are sent to prison as a means of reformation and also for public safety because criminals are incapacitated,” he said.
The former police officer stressed that a person’s conviction should not result in the loss of their basic humanity. He argued that even individuals convicted of serious crimes deserve humane treatment while serving their sentences.
Mr Toobu also acknowledged the challenges facing prison authorities, including limited accommodation and difficulties separating inmates according to the nature and severity of their offences.
He cautioned, however, that resource constraints should not be used to justify inhumane conditions.
“The prison is not a mission house or a restaurant, and you cannot expect all the comfort you need. But we must be humane and serious as a nation,” he added.
Chairman Wontumi’s proposals include establishing a dedicated prison hospital, improving prison officers’ welfare, separating inmates according to their circumstances, expanding prison agriculture and introducing regulated conjugal visits.
Wontumi’s spokesperson, Dr Palgrave Boakye-Danquah, said the proposals followed the former NPP regional chairman’s reflections on prison conditions during his detention.
