Inmates sent out to work succeeded in running away - Prisons PRO confesses

The Public Relations Officer of the Ghana Prisons Service, Chief Superintendent Courage Atsem, has said that there have been times that inmates who have been sent out to work escaped from custody.

Responding to a question posed by Ismail Akwei, the host of The Lowdown on GhanaWeb TV, the PRO said that such cases have

Read full articleever occurred although the instances have not been so profound.

“The tendency for any person in detention to run to freedom is always there. So, if you’re an officer and you’re escorting inmates, you always need to be on your guard no matter the caliber of the people you’re taking out. So yes, we have, on a few occasions, recorded cases where some inmates taken out to go and work, attempted or succeeded in running away from the officer on duty,” he said.

Chief Superintendent Courage Atsem also explained that in such cases, the Service undertakes a thorough introspection to get to the bottom of such cases and then the necessary punitive measures are applied.

“Now, if you’re an officer and you take inmates out, you’re supposed to bring them back and account for them. If you happen to lose one of them, you would have questions to answer. Investigations would be set up to find out whether you willfully allowed him to go, or through negligence. Whichever way it goes, sanctions apply,” he said.

The Ghana Prisons Service PRO was on the show to discuss the topic of the real state of Ghana’s prisons.

The Lowdown airs on GhanaWeb TV every Monday.

Watch the full episode with Chief Superintendent Courage Atsem below: