Project ‘EFIASE’ is an initiative of the 6th Prisons Service Council under the Chairmanship of Rev. Dr. Stephen Wengam.
Efiase is the Akan word for Prison. Project Efiase is about bringing transformation to Ghana’s Prisons Service, educating the public about the current state of its prisons and sensitize the public about the importance of the Prisons Service to public safety. It is also about advocating to corporate entities that the Prisons Service is open to business via public Private Partnerships. Finally, Project Efiase is a fundraiser. All the above is needed to initiate transformation. It costs money to rehabilitate people so that when the re-enter society, they do not endanger public safety.
It is the Prisons Service Council’s outreach to ordinary Ghanaians to assist in transforming Ghana’s prisons into centres of reformation, rehabilitation and productivity—not just centres of incapacitation, deterrence and retribution.
Support Project Efiase | Prisons Reform Trust | ECOBANK Ridge Branch Accra | Acc no. 0010084415563401 or use MTN mobile money.
To donate to the Project Efiase via the Prisons Trust Fund using the MTN Mobile Money platform, registered MTN Mobile Money subscribers can access the Prison option under the General Payment menu and enter any amount they wish to donate.
Registered Mobile Money subscribers, who do not have the Mobile money transaction menu on their phones can dial *170# and access the General Payment menu for successful transfer of funds. All donors will receive SMS confirmation to show their transaction is successful. Donors can also make payments at any MTN Service Center nationwide.
2. Brief History
• Concept birthed by 2008 Prisons
Council after visit to prisons to
inaugurate Regional Prisons
Committees as per constitutional
requirement
• National tour of prisons highlighted
challenges facing the Service
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3. 2006-2008 Prisons Service
Council
• Set up company called PRISONS
REFORM TRUST
– All member were trustees
• Set up fund: PRISONS REFORM TRUST
FUND
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4. 2009-2013 Prisons Service
Council
• Focused on the development of the
10-year STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT
PLAN to change the face of Ghana’s
prisons
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5. 6th Prisons Service Council
• Prisons Reform Trust Resuscitated under
leadership of Chairman Stephen
Wengam by the 6th Prisons Council
sworn in December 2014
• Project Efiase & 10-Year Strategic
Development plan revisited, repackaged
and launched by 6th Council with HE
John Dramani Mahama as the Special
Guest of Honour
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6. GPS Challenges
• The challenges of the Ghana Prisons
Service cannot be understood outside
the context of the purpose for the service
– Why was the Service set up?
– What are its functions?
– Is it able to deliver on its functions?
• The answers to these help comprehend
the magnitude of the problem
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7. GPS Challenges
• Challenges facing the Ghana Prisons
Service are many
• most are interlinked and
• It will require substantial amount of
money/resources to solve
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8. Challenges – Functions of GPS
The GPS has a mandate to perform 3 main
functions:
1. Ensuring safe custody of prisoners and
execution of sentences in a humane manner.
2. Ensuring the welfare of prisoners through
protection of their rights and providing them
with good health care, clothing, bedding,
feeding, recreation, and library facilities, among
other amenities
3. Ensuring the reformation and rehabilitation of
prisoners by offering them opportunities to
develop their skills through trade, training and
moral education
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9. Is the Service able to carry out
these 3 functions?
• 45 Prison establishments; 43 of which are
Prisons & only 3 being purposely built as
prisons
• What about the other 40?
– Non-purpose built/makeshift
– Challenges with these is difficult for
reformation and rehabilitation because of
space requirements
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10. LIST OF CHALLENGES
A SUSTAINED PROJECT EFIASE WILL ADDRESS THE FOLLOWING
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11. Poor Infrastructure
• Age & Type of Structures
– Yeji Camp Prison was an abandoned clinic
– Winneba Prison - warehouse dating back to the
colonial era
– Koforidua Prison colonial armory
– Kumasi Prison built in 1946
– Kenyasi & Dua Yaw N'kwanta Prisons – Gift from
Min of Agric. Came with solitary structure
expand to house prisoners
• Dilapidated structures
• Age as well as their spatial challenges
contribute to acute congestion in the prisons
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12. Overcrowding
• Limits 3rd function
• Limits proper classification and treatment
regimes
– Treatment involves reformation & rehabilitation
• Exacerbates Poor Inmate Health
– potential public health disaster
– No prisons hospital hence additional cost
• Challenges associated with (1) sick prisoner
• Non-custodial sentencing can solve quite a bit
of this
– Paid courtesy call on attorney general
– Need media assistance
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13. Lack of Logistics &Tools
• Machines for skills training date back to
colonial era - obsolete
• Few working machines available
– not enough to meet demand of 15,000
population
• Insufficient vehicles
– Use of trotro to convey prisoners
– Used smoker
• Water challenges
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14. Agric Challenges
• Service not able to farm large acreage. Why?
– many prisons far from farm lands. No Vehicles to
convey prisoners to and from the farms
• Officers not well armed for extensive escort
duties
• One-eye, one-legged tractor insufficient for
large scale farming
• No irrigation equipment
• No large scale farming machinery
– Notwithstanding all the above mentioned
limitations, GPS cultivates close to 1,000 acres
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15. Other Challenges
• Poor feeding rate GHc1.80 up from
GHc0.80
• Inadequate funding from Govt
– Finance minister working on it. Hoping for
change
• General uninformed perception of
populace towards GPS & prisoners in
general
– Makes re-entry into society difficult
– Contributes to revolving door syndrome
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16. Possible Solutions?
• The 10-Year Strategic Development
Plan of the GPS is a road map to
tackle these challenges
• The Prisons Reform Trust is meant to
generate funds to fund the strategic
development plan
• PROJECT EFIASE is the vehicle to get
funds into the trust fund
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17. Project Efiase – Expanded defn
• A platform to sensitize public as to
plight of the GPS, prison officers,
prisoners etc
• a fundraiser soliciting the assistance of
ordinary Ghanaians and corporate
Ghana in the improvement of Ghana’s
prisons
• Invitation for PPPs
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18. What has been done so far?
• 10-Year Strategic Development plan
revised and published
• Project Efiase launched in Accra
• Orchestrated President’s visit to
Nsawam Prisons to familiarize himself
with challenges firsthand
• Planning another launch for Ashanti
region
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19. Priority Areas To Be Considered
• Expansion of some prison
establishments to address acute
congestion
• Injection of capital into the existing
trade training activities
• Expansion of agricultural activities
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20. Why GPS needs Ambassadors?
• GPSC has reached out to major
stakeholders in criminal justice system
– President of the Republic, Chief Justice,
Minister of Justice
• But since Efiase is about changing public
perception and fund-raising, GPS needs
MEDIA to reach the populace
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