Former Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, has called for comprehensive reforms in Ghana’s prison system, highlighting overcrowding, inadequate healthcare and poor conditions of service for prison officers.
The call follows his 100 days in custody, a period his spokesperson, Dr Palgrave Boakye-Danquah, says has prompted him to reflect on the challenges facing the Ghana Prisons Service and the welfare of inmates.
Speaking on The Big Bulletin with Clankson Acheampong on Tuesday, October 27, Dr Boakye-Danquah said Wontumi believed the government needed to invest more in prison infrastructure and improve support for officers responsible for managing correctional facilities.
He said the former NPP regional chairman was advocating better salaries, accommodation and conditions of service for prison officers, given the demanding nature of their work.
“The prison officers are the first people to open the prison doors and then the last people to close the prison doors before they get back to their homes,” Dr Boakye-Danquah quoted Wontumi as saying.
Calls for dedicated prison hospital
Wontumi is also proposing the establishment of a dedicated prison hospital, alongside the provision of ambulance services and improved medical facilities to respond to emergencies involving inmates.
According to his spokesperson, the proposals are intended to strengthen access to healthcare for prisoners, particularly those suffering from serious illnesses.
The former NPP regional chairman has further raised concerns about overcrowding and called for inmates to be classified according to the nature of their offences and their security risks.
Such measures, according to the proposals outlined by his spokesperson, would form part of broader efforts to improve prison management and conditions within correctional facilities.
Appeals for bipartisan support
Beyond healthcare and officers’ welfare, Wontumi is urging the Majority and Minority caucuses in Parliament to cooperate in developing reforms to improve prison infrastructure and rehabilitation programmes.
Dr Boakye-Danquah said Wontumi believed imprisonment should not be limited to punishment but should also prepare inmates for reintegration into society after serving their sentences.
“He says very clearly that he can come to prison, anybody can come to prison, any politician can come to prison tomorrow, the next day and the years ahead,” he said.
Wontumi was remanded into custody on July 20, 2026. His spokesperson says the proposals form part of a broader appeal for government and Parliament to address challenges within the Ghana Prisons Service, including inmate welfare, healthcare, overcrowding and the working conditions of prison officers.
