A call for reform: Restoring dignity to our brothers and sisters behind bars

By Pater GARIBA

My beloved homeland, Ghana—today, my heart bleeds for our fellow Ghanaians who find themselves in our prison system. It is deeply troubling and utterly unacceptable that in this day and age, inmates are expected to survive on a daily food allowance of just GHS 1.80.

This meager sum cannot provide even the most basic nutritional needs. We must never forget: these individuals are human beings—Ghanaians—just like us. Their rights, their dignity, and their well-being matter.

Let us, as a nation, rise to confront this inhumane reality. Our prison system must move beyond punishment to become a true avenue for rehabilitation and reintegration. The current state of our prisons is not only a reflection of systemic neglect but a moral failure on our part as a people.

It is time to rethink our approach. Let us consider relocating our prisons to large tracts of arable land across the country and transform these spaces into agricultural training institutions. There, inmates can be engaged in modern, mechanized farming and animal husbandry. Such a model would not only make our prisons self-sufficient in food production but also empower inmates with practical skills to reintegrate into society as productive citizens.

There are many intelligent, talented, and capable individuals in our prisons today—individuals whose lives have been derailed not only by their actions but by the shortcomings of our legal and investigative systems. We must commit to restoring their dignity and investing in their future.

Ghana must lead with compassion, justice, and vision. True development is measured not by the wealth of a few, but by how we treat the most vulnerable among us—including those behind bars.

Let us act now. For justice. For dignity. For Ghana.

The post A call for reform: Restoring dignity to our brothers and sisters behind bars appeared first on The Business & Financial Times.

Read Full Story