Frank Ocran, council member of the Prisons Service and executive chairman of the State Enterprises Commission has called on benevolent bodies to come to the aid of those who are in jail. He made the call at the press launch of a project under the theme, "Prisons Rehabilitation and Reformation", in support of Ghanaian prisons. It was organized by the Ghana Prisons Service in collaboration with Goodies Music Foundation, Ghana, as well as affiliates in the United States. Explaining the need for the call, Mr. Frank Ocran said "most of the prisons established in this country lack adequate facilities to reform prisoners. Some lack enough space to accommodate recreational facilities, workshops, etcetera." "Classification of prisoners is virtually impossible," he added. He noted that the few existing workshops continued to use obsolete tools and machines to train prisoners, adding tbat as a result, many prisoners did not receive the needed vocational training for their future resettlement. He stressed that this in turn contributed to lack of support for discharged inmates, who he said were unfortunately forced to break the law again and come back to prison. “Most discharged inmates cannot stand on their feet because usually lack tool and funds to practice the trade they learnt in prison." He indicated also that opportunities for further training to udate officers' were rare. Meanwhile, he noted, crime was becoming sophisticated, stressing "it is important that prisons officers to update their knowledge to become abreast with the modern trends in correction." According to him, Prison officers deserved to be motivated with good working conditions to make them give of their best in reforming the inmates. He outlined insufficient government budgetary allocation as the root cause of problems the service had been facing over the years, adding that the Ghana Prisons Service was financially constrained in performing its functions effectively. However, he said there was a need for joint venture between the service and the private sector, hence the call for benevolent organizations to support. Mr. Frank Ocran urged the media to support the move by visiting prisons to witness the conditions there and write articles on them for public consumption. He hailed the project and commended Goodies Music Foundation for the initiative. The Goodies Music Foundation, headed by Isaac Asiedu Aidoo, would organize music concerts to raise funds to support the country's prisons and educate the public on what is happening in the prisons. It held workshops also for inmates and prison officials. Addressing participants, Mr. Hayford Kornney, Acting Director General of the Prisons Service supported the call for benevolent groups to assist the prisons. Mr. Kornney appealed to government to help provide the Prisons Service with a hospital as had been done for the Ghana Police Service. According to him, the Prisons Service deserved to be recognized since it took care of all criminals in society. Source: Daily Guide