President John Mahama has underscored the need for urgent reforms within Ghana’s correctional system, stressing that prisons should never be seen as a place meant for one’s enemies.

According to him, the conditions and purpose of incarceration must be re-examined to ensure that the system focuses on rehabilitation rather than punishment alone.

“Prison is not a place to wish your enemy,” President Mahama said when he received the Ghana Prisons Service Council at the Jubilee House on Tuesday.

The Council, led by Interior Minister Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, was at the Presidency to brief the President on the current state of the Ghana Prisons Service and highlight urgent areas requiring intervention.

President Mahama assured the delegation of the government’s commitment to addressing the challenges confronting the Service, particularly in improving living conditions for both officers and inmates.

He also endorsed the “Think Prison, Think 360 Agenda”, a reform initiative aimed at taking a holistic approach to prison management, with emphasis on rehabilitation, reintegration, and improved welfare for staff and inmates.

The initiative seeks to reposition the prison system as a correctional and reformative institution that contributes meaningfully to society after incarceration.

Members of the delegation included the Council Chairman, Apostle Alexander Nana Yaw Kumi-Larbi, and the Director-General of Prisons, Mrs. Patience Baffoe-Bonnie.