Deputy Director of Prisons and the second in command at Nsawam Prisons, Samuel Owusu-Amponsah, has expressed worry over how most people are getting themselves in prisons due to drug influence.
He told Adom News that they had identified that many of the prisoners at Nsawam, committed crimes while under the influence of drugs but fell short of giving specifics for security reasons.
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Samuel Owusu-Amponsah explained that some of the prisoners could not have committed the crimes they committed but for the influence of one illicit drug or the other.
“Some of the inmates were under the influence of drugs such as tramadol, cocaine, marijuana etc. If not, they would not have been able to commit the crimes which got them here,” he said.
He has described the rate at which people were abusing drugs as alarming, advising the youth to desist from the practice because it could land them in jail.
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Samuel Owusu-Amponsah made the remarks when the Holy City Family International went to donate some items worth GHC5,600 to the inmates as part of their Cooperate Social Responsibilities.
Executive Director for Holy City Fellowship International, Evangelist Appiah Kubi has called for reforms at Ghana’s prisons to prevent it from churning out more criminals instead of reformed persons.
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He also called for the expansion of the prisons.
“Inmates outnumber the accommodation here and it’s rather unfortunate to see how these prisoners are crowded. There must be an expansion of the prisons so the inmates can have some space,” he said.
He expressed the hope that their donation will bring some relief to the inmates and make them know that society still thinks about them.