Former New Patriotic Party (NPP) Ashanti Regional Chairman Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, is calling for better salaries, accommodation, and working conditions for prison officers following his first 100 days in custody.
Wontumi was remanded on July 20, 2026. His spokesperson, Dr Palgrave Boakye-Danquah, said the experience had prompted him to reflect on conditions within the Ghana Prisons Service and propose reforms.
Speaking on The Big Bulletin with Clankson Acheampong on Tuesday, October 27, Dr Boakye-Danquah said Wontumi was concerned about the medical care available to inmates, particularly those with serious health conditions.
He said the politician was advocating a dedicated prison hospital, ambulance services and improved facilities to help manage medical emergencies.
Wontumi is also calling for greater support for prison officers, citing the demanding nature of their duties.
“The prison officers are the first people to open the prison doors and then the last people to close the prison doors before they get back to their homes,” Dr Boakye-Danquah said.
He added that Wontumi wanted the government to review officers’ salaries, accommodation and conditions of service.
According to the spokesperson, Wontumi believes prisons should prepare inmates for life after release rather than focus solely on punishment.
“He says very clearly that he can come to prison, anybody can come to prison, any politician can come to prison tomorrow, the next day and the years ahead,” he said.
Wontumi has also raised concerns about overcrowding and called for inmates to be classified according to their offences and security risks.
On prison agriculture, he said the Ghana Prisons Service had vast tracts of land and skilled labour but lacked the equipment needed to maximise production.
Wontumi has also called for greater collaboration between the prison service and the justice sector. He wants regional prison commanders to be included in jury-related and other justice deliberations, arguing that “the real job begins after judgement.”
He is further urging Parliament’s Majority and Minority caucuses to work together on reforms covering prison healthcare, officers’ welfare, inmate classification, agriculture, infrastructure and rehabilitation programmes.
