NSAWAM MEDIUM SECURITY PRISON – STATE OF AFFAIRS

WRITER: YIRENKYI OPARE-AKUFFO

INTRODUCTION
The Ghana Prisons Service as established by the 1992 Constitution of Ghana is mandated to ensure the Safe Custody and Welfare of Prisoners and whenever practicable, undertake their Reformation and Rehabilitation.
The Nsawam Medium Security Prison which is established on a one (1) mile square plot of land located at the outskirts of the Nsawam Township, and presently the only medium security prison in Ghana is no exception to this mandate. The Nsawam Medium Security Prisons (Male) like all other prisons in Ghana seem to have failed in this regard.
This is as a result of crime still being an ever-present occurrence in Ghana in spite of ongoing efforts to climb down criminals and improve human and social security of the country’s citizens.
This is because the country’s prison facilities where criminality is expected to end have become revolving indoors, and that too many of their residents – that is prisoners or inmates – return time and again; more than half of all inmates will be back in prison within six years of their release, my investigations have revealed.
As sad but unfortunately, the current 47 prison facilities across the country, whatever form they take, do not seem to correct, rehabilitate or treat criminal offenders to become useful citizens at the end of their jail terms.
They rather make them more embittered because of the degrading human conditions such as lack of food, water, clothing, medicals and detergents inmates face day after day, thereby serving as outdated ware-houses for real human beings who have been detained by the state.


HISTORY/BACKGROUND
The Medium Security Prison (Male) is the largest Prison in Ghana, and most probably the whole of West Africa. Its construction started in 1956 and was officially opened on 10th October, 1960. As a Medium Security Prison, it is reasonably fortified so much that the question of a successful internal escape is almost non-existent.
Also worthy of note is that though the Prison’s ideal average capacity is 717, it now holds almost 3,000 inmates making the prison a ware-house indeed. Currently, the lock-up is 2,825, of this figure; almost 60% are Remand Prisoners, some of them with expired warrants.

HUMAN RIGHTS
Fundamental Human Rights and Freedoms are enshrined in the 1992 Republican Constitution of Ghana which makes every person (prisoners inclusive) in Ghana entitled to the fundamental human rights and freedoms as enshrined in chapter five of the constitution. Citizens are protected against abuse of basic human dignity, including any cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment that is “likely to detract from dignity and worth.” The aforementioned rights are simply not in existent let alone not being respected in the Nsawam Medium Security Prison (Male).
However, prisons in Ghana are overcrowded and seen as bitter penal institutions meant for social outcasts whom government believes should just be taken away from society and given the “just deserts” for their crimes. This is against the backdrop that government’s attention to the welfare of both prison officers and inmates is insignificant, leaving conditions at a deplorable state and weaken morale of officers of this paramilitary institution. The Ministry of Interior responsible for the Ghana Prison Service is equally to blame for the deplorable state of the prisons in the country as the Ministry have not lived up to its responsibilities.
The question arising out of this situation is whether it is realistic to expect that a significant portion of prisoners will successfully adjust to society after a lengthy stay in an overcrowded and bitter penal institution of state.
In this sense, prison success would be measured by factors such as physical security, length of incapacitation, relationship between crime rate and the number of incarcerated felons, and inmates’ perception that their treatment was fair and proportionate, experts say.

CLASSIFICATION OF PRISONERS
There are several types of prisoners in custody currently. They include convicts, condemned prisoners, remands, trials, debtors, lifers, lodgers and deportees. Furthermore, there are first offenders as well as recidivists, just as there are young and old inmates. Given the large number of inmates and the nature of the prison structures, Prison Officers are unable to do proper classification so as to avoid contamination.
However, prison officers try to limit contamination as much as they can by using indices like type of offence, sentence, age etc. as criteria for allocating them to the various blocks of dormitory – like cell units with in-built ablution facilities.

REMANDS
The overwhelming and continuously swelling number of Remand Prisoners whose cases are either under investigation or awaiting trial is of grave concern.
For example, in December, 2000, the Remand population stood at 202 whilst in December, 2002 the Remand lock-up was 324.
Currently, the Remand population has risen to 1,633, obviously turning the Nsawam Medium Security (Male) Prison facility into a Remand home which is the case in almost all the prisons in the country if not all. Four (4) of the eight (8) blocks in the Nsawam Medium Security Prison (Male) accommodating the prisoners now hold these Remand Prisoners. It is equally worrisome that some of these remand prisoners are there with expired warrants as some have been locked up for nearly 14 years without trial which is very degrading and dehumanizing indeed.

CONGESTION
The Nsawam Medium Security Prison (Male) is heavily congested as the prisons now holds a little over treble of the number the prison can accommodate. The situation has gotten out of hand as in the case of one of the blocks in the prison called Annex B which is suppose to hold one person per cubicle now holding 10 to 15 inmates per cubicle. The little said about the other blocks the better as rooms that are to hold approximately 20 inmates are holding 50 to 60 inmates. The question therefore of how they sleep in such rooms and cubicles without ceiling or standing fans, your guess is as good as mine.
Naturally, this comes with its attendant pressures on staff, logistics, health delivery and accommodation as well as the possibility of an epidemic.
The enactment of a Legislative Instrument for non-custodial sentences like community sentence, parole, suspended sentences, fines and other alternative punishments for lesser offences would no doubt help decongest the prisons especially for first offenders. Also, the speedy investigation and trial of Remand cases could go a long way to ease congestion.

CONCLUSION
I would like to conclude by drawing your attention to the fact that, given the numerous challenges facing the Medium Security Prison especially with the increasing numbers of remand prisoners, it is with tact, professionalism and by God’s abundant grace especially considering the inmate population vis-à-vis the staff strength, that the station is running successfully.