Crime Check Foundation (CCF) has trained 76 prison officers from seven selected prison establishments who will screen inmates to identify the various psycho-social and arts therapy needs of inmates.
The beneficiary prisons are the Nsawam Medium Security, Kumasi Central, Sunyani Central, Koforidua Local, Winneba Local, Awutu Camp, and Ho Central Prisons.
The training forms part of the rollout of the implementation of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) sponsored project dubbed “Enhancing Access to Psychosocial Support and Arts Therapy in Prisons in Ghana”.
The project spearheaded by CCF involves providing emotional, social, and psychological assistance to help the prisoners improve their mental well-being, resilience, and ability to cope, especially in challenging situations.
The main goal of the project is to sustainably improve access to psychosocial support, including arts therapy for prisoners in Ghana through a collaboration between a civil society organization (recipient of grant), academic institutions and the Ghana Prisons Service.
It is also to increase psychosocial support to prisoners through individual and group psychotherapy by psychologists/psychiatrists; and to increase psychosocial support to prisoners through arts therapy, including theatre and writing projects for prisoners together with universities
Alhaji Ibrahim Oppong Kwarteng, the Executive Director, CCF told the Ghana News Agency that prison officers have also been given training on providing psychosocial support to prisoners.
He stated that the responsibility of the Prisons Service goes beyond ensuring safe custody to providing psychosocial support for inmates which would help transform the prisoners after exiting the prison and enable the smooth re-integration of ex-convicts into society.
The Executive Director said manuals, audio, and audio-visual materials have been developed to guide the officers in helping the prisoners.
“The project is expected to be extended to cater for inmates in other prison establishments across the country,” he added.
The project was launched in August 2024 by the Director-General of the Ghana Prisons Service, represented by the then Deputy Director-General of Prisons In-Charge of Finance and Administration, Matilda Baffoe-Bonnie (Esq).
Mrs. Baffoe-Bonnie, who is now the Director-General of the Prisons Service, lauded the initiative, indicating that it was a bold step toward achieving an effective correctional system.
GNA
