Protector of Sentiments Foundation (POS) facilitating the Justice for All programme in prisons has referred to as for the activation of a contagious condition allowance for prison officers across the region.
The Non Governmental Organsiation (NGO) also would like prison officers to be deemed as frontliners in the fight from Covid-19.
Government Director, Jonathan Osei Owusu, spoke to JoyNews when the basis organised a short seminar for inmates and jail officers on security protocols for Covid-19 at the Kumasi Central Prisons.
He observed the pandemic could have grave influence on prisons and security in scenario of doable outbreak of the virus throughout different prisons in Ghana.
“When we talk about jail officers and their plight, we need to have to give essential attention to them simply because it is just like that of the prisoner, in reality they jeopardizing their life so a great deal and we are contacting on governing administration to give them incentives and notably activate a contagious sickness allowance for prison officer mainly because their function is so risky, because whatever takes place to the inmates transpires to the officers and occasionally they acquire it home to their families.”
Mr Osei Owusu indicated that the strict adherence to protection protocols and professionalism of jail officers, has significantly lessened the risk that congestion and very poor air flow in prisons posed to the distribute of Covid-19.
“This is why we want them to be recognised as front liners in the fight from Covid-19 simply because the 1 circumstance that was recorded at Ankaful prisons in the central region, the officer on obligation bought it, the just one who led the inmate to the gate was infected, so their perform is as dangerous as all other entrance liners in this struggle.”
The POS basis appealed to parliament to velocity up processes in passing the Neighborhood Service monthly bill that will assure alternate methods of incarceration to decongest prisons across the region.
“We are calling on the speedy passage of the alternate sentencing routine which is the local community provider invoice which is at present at the ministry amount so that we may well also have possibilities to incarceration as directed by the Planet Wellness Organization (WHO) and United Nations (UN) protocol on Covid-19.
“We know that it is at the state-of-the-art phase and that we are calling on the Ministry to velocity up the processes together with all stakeholders to get the neighborhood company invoice passed into regulation to decongest our prisons.”
The NGO offered some assorted sanitary products to the inmates and officers to help their battle against the virus.
Public Relations Officer for the Kumasi Central Prisons, DSP Richard Bukari expressed gratitude and assured to adhere to the security safeguards to guarantee zero tolerance to Covid-19.