Prison ladies hold party for female inmates

It is in this spirit that the Volta Regional and the Kumasi branch of the Prison Ladies Association (PRILAS)  held end-of-year parties for female inmates in prisons in the Volta Region and Kumasi. 

Addressing the programme at the Ho Central Prisons last Friday, the President of the Volta Regional branch of PRILAS, Superintendent Hannah Ewoame, called on well-meaning persons and families to accept ex-convicts into society after they had been discharged from prison  to enable them to put the trade they learnt in prison into practice, writes Tim Dzamboe, HO.

She said ex-convicts could be assisted either in cash or in kind with the needed tools or materials to practise the trade or the skills they acquired in prison.

That, she said, would empower them economically and facilitate their re-integration into society and also help to reduce the problems associated with stigmatisation and lack of support from their families.

Supt. Ewoame said Volta PRILAS decided to organise the party for female inmates because they were often forgotten by their families on such festive occasions. She added: “We want them to know that as officers we are not only interested in their safe custody but as our slogan goes, “We love them, we care for them and we would always support them.”

Training

She said some of them received training in bread making, weaving of door mats, armrests and pillow making as part of trade training, reformation and rehabilitation programmes.

The officer in charge of the Female Ward, Supt. Grace Allan-Gayinah, disclosed that there were 67 female prisoners in Ho and a total of 90 in the whole of the Volta Region. She expressed the hope that the party would revive their spirits and give them confidence for the future.

Addressing the main party for members of PRILAS on the theme;  “An empowered woman; A tool for accelerated development”, Supt. Ewoame urged members to take advantage of every available opportunity to upgrade themselves and added: “Let the qualification with which you joined the service be a stepping stone.”

She pleaded with their spouses and partners to be behind their female counterparts as a source of empowerment.

Supt. Ewoame said PRILAS aimed at promoting the interest of female officers and addressing the needs of female inmates and their children, especially in the case of those who came into custody with babies or those who delivered while in custody.

The programme organised by PRILAS for female inmates in Kumasi brought together all the 40 inmates of the female prison, officers of the prison and other dignitaries who took turns to encourage and counsel the inmates about life after prison, writes Felix A. Baidoo, KUMASI.

Speaking at the ceremony, Assistant Director of Prisons, Mrs Juana Tackie-Otoo, who is the officer in charge of the Female Prisons, said PRILAS was formed to promote the interest of female staff and take care of their needs.

She said they also visited female prisons to encourage, mentor and counsel female inmates and also give them support in many endeavours.

Projects 

The Ashanti Regional branch of PRILAS in 2012 established a corn mill manned by the female inmates to support the activities of the association, the female inmates,  as well as, other projects.

Mrs Tackie-Otoo, who is also the Ashanti Regional President of PRILAS, said Christmas was a period of  sharing and having a good time with families and PRILAS decided to fete the inmates to make them feel at home.

Two years ago, PRILAS donated assorted food items worth GH¢300 to the inmates of the Amanfrom Prison Camp and in July, this year, also donated assorted items worth GH¢600 to them again to support their upkeep.

Mrs Tackie-Otoo also assured the female inmates that they would continue to support and care for their needs as long as they lived with them and urged them to be of good behaviour and respect authority at all times.

She urged them to take the training programmes seriously to ensure that they became economically empowered to fend for themselves after their imprisonment.

Commendations

Mrs Tackie-Otoo commended the Director General of Prisons, Madam Matilda Baffour-Awuah, for establishing PRILAS in 2006, which had brought some improvement into the lives of female officers in diverse ways.

The Ashanti Regional Director of Prisons, Mr Emmanuel Yao Adzator, who was the guest of honour at the function, lauded PRILAS for feting the female inmates and urged them to continue with the good work.

He said the Ghana Prisons Service was taking a serious look at issues in connection with both female prison officers, as well as, the inmates they took care of.

The regional commander attributed most of the crimes committed by female inmates to lack of economic opportunities and said everything was being done to ensure that the female inmates were helped to be free from the temptation to commit crime.