<<Print>>

Two babies born to convicted mothers in the Kumasi Central Prison are living in the harsh conditions associated with prison life. According to prison officials, efforts to get the relatives of the convicts to take the babies out of incarceration had proved unsuccessful. The babies� mothers were jailed for various terms when they were pregnant, much against the laws of the nation which allow the courts to defer the sentences of pregnant women. The Graphic Online gathered during a visit by the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Mrs Marietta Brew Appiah-Oppong, to the Kumasi Central Prison on Monday that the babies shared the food given to their mothers, making them susceptible to diseases and malnutrition. Poor ventilation, squalor, overcrowding and unhygienic way of preparing food are some of the serious problems facing the Kumasi Prison. The minister, who was on her maiden visit to the facility, said there was the need for immediate action to get the babies out and stressed the need for prison officials to get in touch with the Department of Social Welfare to begin the necessary processes to get the babies out. She also blamed some of the convicted mothers who, in spite of the harsh conditions at the prison, still wanted to have their children close to them. She described the general situation of the Kumasi Prison as �dire�, saying, �We need to do our best to correct things.� During the visit, it came to the notice of the minister that a suspect had been on remand for about six years because of his inability to fulfil a GH�2,000 bail bond. Mrs Appiah-Oppong said it was unacceptable for suspects to be kept on remand for very long periods. She mentioned the Justice for All Programme as one best route to get justice for some remand prisoners who had remained in the prison for long periods of time. She encouraged prison officials to continue to work hard, even in the face of the challenges, saying any lapses would not be in the interest of the nation. The Chief State Attorney in charge of the Ashanti Region, Mr William Kpobi, called on prison authorities to bring to the notice of his office pregnant women jailed by the courts for him to initiate the necessary action on their plight. He noted that most of the time pregnant women were not represented by counsel during their trial. Briefing the minister on the state of the prison, the Deputy Regional Commander of Prisons, Chief Superintendent of Prisons Mr E.K. Boahen, said the Kumasi Central Prison currently had 1,879 inmates jammed in cells that together were expected to hold about 800 prisoners. The inmates included 22 condemned prisoners and 473 remand prisoners. He suggested the reintroduction of the parole system as a cost-saving measure.