A six month-long project, implemented to provide mental health and psychosocial support services for some prison inmates and officers, has ended in Tamale.
It was implemented in seven prisons across the northern and the middle belts of the country namely Tamale, Sunyani, Wa, Navrongo, Yendi, Gambaga and Damongo.
It focused on the capacity building of inmates and officers (peer counselors) and providing them with psychosocial support services.
The project, dubbed: “Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Prisons”, was implemented by the Total Life Enhancement Centre-Ghana (TOLEC-GH), a psychology focused organisation.
It was supported by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and funded by the United States Department-Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement in collaboration with the Ghana Prisons Service.
As part of the implementation strategy, the project incorporated the art therapy underscoring the importance of the Nelson Mandela Rules, which served as a benchmark for prisons reforms worldwide and promoting a more humane and just approach to incarceration.
Mr Peter Mintir Amadu, Executive Director of TOLEC-GH, speaking during the close- out of the project in Tamale, said it provided support services to a total of 538 inmates and 114 officers in all the seven prisons.
The close-out ceremony was attended by representatives of implementing partners including the Centre for Social Development Reform (CSD Reform), Legal Aid Commission, Ghana Police Service, Ghana Health Service and NGOs.
Mr Mintir said the project had succeeded in training 42 inmates and 47 officers to ensure that support services were accessible and sustainable at the prisons.
He called on stakeholders including government to prioritise supporting the prisons through increased mental health services, budgetary allocations, staff capacity building and the provision of modern facilities.
Deputy Director of Prisons (DDP) Mr Thompson Otsyokpo, Northern Regional Commander of Prisons, who was represented at the event, lauded the project saying it had improved the mental health of inmates and contributed to their rehabilitation and reintegration into society.
He said, “A healthy mind is the foundation for positive change, and this project has given many of our inmates the tools to embark on that journey.”
