A total of 1,602 prison inmates were granted presidential pardon in 2020, as part of measures to decongest the cells and mitigate the impact of overcrowding in the wake of the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has said.

He said government was focused on introducing non-custodial sentences as alternative to the prison system to curb overcrowding in prisons.

The Vice President was addressing the inauguration of the Governing Council of the Ghana Prisons Service in Accra on Tuesday.

He said the government was also pursuing the expansion of existing prison infrastructure to provide decent accommodation for inmates and help address the current health challenges in prisons.

Dr Bawumia observed that the rapid population growth and its concomitant increase in crime as well as the lack of classification of offences presented more challenges for the country’s prison system.

As part of policy direction to address the problem, Dr Bawumia said that external consultations were underway to pass the Prisons Bill 2021.

He said the government was committed to retooling the Service in the face of logistical challenge to enhance its operations.

“The Service will be re-positioned as an excellent centre of reformation and rehabilitation, in line with modern regimes and best practices in corrections management.

The paradigm shift from mere custodial housing of offenders to their reformation and rehabilitation should therefore be the driving force for the Service in these times,” he added.

The Vice President urged officers to strike a balance between their security role and the dignity of prisoners to ensure that the human rights of inmates were upheld at all times despite the challenges.

He indicated government’s readiness for support and strategic partnerships in decongesting the prisons and expanding agricultural activities to supplement inmates’ feeding, generate income and provide farming skills to inmates and commended the Church of Pentecost in this regard.

Dr Bawumia called on the Service to take advantage of the Planting for Foods and Jobs initiative to promote agriculture and leverage opportunities that public-private partnerships and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) offers to improve the prisons system.

Chairman of the Council, Most Reverend Peter Paul YelezuomeAngkyier, Bishop of the Damongo Diocese, acknowledged the challenges raised by the Vice President and pledged that the Council would focus on working to tackle them.

He noted that the challenges could be addressed through a concerted effort of government and the Prison Service Administration.

The Council, he said, was committed to the transformation, rebranding and repositioning of the Service as an institution of excellence.

Other members of the Council include Ambrose Dery, Minister of the Interior; Isaac Egyir, Director General of the Prisons Service;Dr Frank Serebour; Vincent KizitoBenyo and Yvonne AtakoraObuobisa

The rest are Rev. Comfort Asare; Rev.Dr Cyril G. K.Fayose; BuipeWura Mahama AbdulaiJinapor II; Ophelia Mensah Hayford; Deputy Director of Prison (DDP) Gloria Essandoh; Chief Officer (CO) AlhassanKoka and Sarah M Adetola.