Authorities at the Kumasi and Nsawam Prisons are calling for urgent action to decongest their facilities due to fear of COVID-19.
The Kumasi Central Prison for instance was built to house 800 inmates but currently accommodates almost three times the capacity.
The Ashanti Deputy Regional Director of Prisons Osman Tetteh Baidoo says despite strict observance to anti-COVID-19 protocols, the new inmates have had to be quarantined.
He said the large numbers has made the quarantine process of new inmate very difficult.
He made this known to Luv FM when the President of the Ghana National Chamber of Commerce donated assorted items worth twelve thousand cedis to the Prison.
“We wash our hands and check our temperatures before we enter the prison yard. Our biggest problem is the quarantine, as far as COVID-19 is concerned we have to quarantine some of the new inmates but there aren’t even cells to do so, this is a challenge”.
At the Nsawam Prison, same problem exist and authorities have managed to create a holding centre in the prison but it still in the prison yard.
“The facility was built to house 800 inmates as it stands we have more than 3000 inmates so what it means is that social distancing is difficult to achieve. We have manage to clear a room and used as an isolation centre but it is still within the prison yard which is not safe”.
President Akufo-Addo recently granted presidential amnesty to 808 convict prisoners.
The prisoners include; first offenders-783, seriously ill -11, Inmates on death roll- 7, Inmates serving life sentence -4, very old prisoners 70years and above – 3.
