Prison Officers warn to desist from illegal dealing with inmates

Officers of the Ghana Prisons Service who indulge illegal dealings with inmates are warned to desist from such acts or face the rigorous of the law. ACP Abundant Robert Awolugutu who gave the warning during the service general durbar in Tamale said his administration will not shield any officer who willfully engages in such criminal acts. He urged the officers to live above approach and avoid attitudes that compromise their integrity as officers of the service. He also tasked them to eschew bad habits such as alcoholism, lateness to work, absenteeism and the abuse of narcotic drugs which he said can determine their ability to live up to expectation as officers tasked with the mandate to reform and rehabilitate inmates. According to the ACP Robert Awolugutu, many deficiencies needs to be corrected and funding is needed to ensure safe custody and welfare of inmates since the service is bedridden debts. He mentioned that, due to the insufficient budget allocation from government, reformation and rehabilitation programmes are non-existent in some prison establishment across the region. The Ghana prison service still faces a lot of challenges ranging from overcrowding to poor infrastructure as well as lack of vehicles for both administrative and prisoners use.  ACP Abundant Robert therefore made a passionate appeal to government to give serious consideration to the reconstitution of the prisons service council to champion the cause of the service.

Source Ramatu Alhassan