President John Dramani Mahama has reaffirmed his government’s commitment to upholding the dignity and human rights of persons in custody, stressing that incarceration should never mean the loss of one’s humanity.
Speaking at the commissioning of the Damongo Camp Prison built and donated by the Church of Pentecost, the President said, “No Ghanaian should be stripped of their humanity even when they are in prison.”
He emphasised that justice must always go hand in hand with mercy, adding that the ultimate aim of punishment should be to reform and reintegrate, not to reject. The President noted that the new Damongo Camp Prison embodies “a new philosophy of incarceration; one that is not punitive, but rather restorative; one that is not dehumanising, but rather dignifying.”
READ: Mahama announces donation of 66-seater bus to Damongo Camp Prison
President Mahama explained that his administration is pursuing far-reaching reforms to make Ghana’s correctional system more humane and effective. These include the introduction of alternative sentencing for minor offences, a parole system to reward good behaviour, improved prison infrastructure, and better conditions of service for officers.
He added that the government’s reform agenda aligns with the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, also known as the Nelson Mandela Rules, as part of efforts to promote fairness and rehabilitation within the justice system.
The Damongo Camp Prison constructed and donated by the Church of Pentecost is a three hundred (300) all male prison that serves as a transformative and skill acquisition facility. It is equipped with standard football pitch, workshops for carpentry, tailoring and metal fabrication works, chapel, dinning, baptistery amongst others.
According to the Ghana Prisons Service, Inmates at the Damongo Camp Prison are expected to used largely for agricultural works in the Damongo enclave.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh
