The Ghana Prison Service led by the Director General, Mrs. Patience Baffoe-Bonnie (ESQ), today paid a courtesy call on the Management of the Petroleum Commission to
explore areas of collaboration that would improve the welfare and rehabilitation of prison inmates.
In her remarks, Mrs. Baffoe-Bonnie highlighted the urgent need for reform programmes to help inmates reintegrate into society upon release. She appealed to the Commission
to consider supporting the establishment with a welding and fabrication workshop in the prisons to equip inmates with employable and entrepreneurial skills in metal works.
“We believe that skills development is critical in helping the inmates not return to criminal activities. A welding and fabrication centre will give inmates some skills when they leave prison, ensuring that they can fend for themselves and contribute meaningfully to society,” she said. She further appealed for assistance in upgrading sanitation facilities at the Borstal Institute, noting that the current state of the facility was inadequate.
Responding to the request, Ag. Chief Executive Officer of the Petroleum Commission, Ms. Emeafa Hardcastle, commended the Prison Service for its efforts and pledged that the Commission would consider some of the proposals as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives.
“With the presence of a new Board, we can table some of these requests especially the sanitation facility as a CSR venture. We know it is needed, and we are optimistic that the Commission can pull some resources to support in this area fully or in part, alongside possible contributions of food items for the prisons,” Ms. Hardcastle said.
She however noted that the cost of establishing a full welding and fabrication centre within the prison system would be substantial.
As an alternative, she recommended signing up inmates nearing their release into existing technical institutions. “The cost of setting up such a facility is enormous. A more cost effective approach would be to enrol inmates with a few months remaining into institutions such as the Regional Maritime University, Takoradi Technical Institute,
and others under secure supervision. We can encourage upstream oil and gas companies to channel some CSR funds into sponsoring such initiatives,” Ms. Hardcastle explained.
In her closing remarks, Ms. Hardcastle assured the Ghana Prison Service of a meaningful partnership which could create opportunities that gives inmates a real chance at rebuilding their lives and contributing positively to society
Ghana Prison Service Seeks Partnership with PetroleumCommission to Support Inmates
