Reform a hungry prisoner: the troubles of the prison administrator | Characteristics



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In recent times, penitentiary systems around the world have been responsible for reforming and rehabilitating the prisoners in their care, the days of simply storing offenders who have disappeared.

To do this, they take prisoners into structured regimes to ensure that after their release, they truly return to society.

Food plays a key role in the proper administration of prisons as it affects the quality of life of the prisoner as well as his commitment to reform.

The unfortunate situation in Ghana's penitentiary system is that our prisoners are fed a derisory daily ration of 1.80 GH ¢, or 0.60 GH ¢ per meal. That's the feeding rate of prisoners for almost a decade now.

This situation leaves the prison director in a painful situation as he tries to reform a practically hungry prisoner.

Quality and quantity of food served

Articles 228 to 282 of the prison regulations detail the quality and quantity of the prisoner's meal. The current feeding rate prevents prison administrators from complying with the provisions. The circumstances in which about 14,000 Ghanaian prisoners are fed three times a day with a minimal amount are rather magical.

The struggle, in most cases, is to provide prisoners with healthy meals, with little or no concern for their quantity.

Most institutions that have made efforts to engage in some form of agriculture to supplement the diet of prisoners are struck by reality; Inadequate inputs and agricultural machinery.

The prison administrator, striving to comply with the Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners Fed in Food, which stipulates that "every prisoner shall be handed over by the administration, at regular times, nutritional value, d and well prepared and served "sometimes relies on the benevolence of philanthropists and religious organizations to meet this need.

Riots and hunger strikes

Riots and unrest in prisons around the world sometimes result in protests by prisoners for an improvement in the quality and / or quantity of food served. There are cases in our facilities where prisoners have rebelled against food.

These riots, which begin mainly with hunger strikes, sometimes result in the destruction of prison property and, in some cases, life-threatening physical badaults on prison staff trying to enforce the order. .

Effects of food on reform and rehabilitation

As noted earlier, imprisonment has shifted from offender storage to systems for reform and rehabilitation. This has led to the adoption of structured regimes in which professionals such as priests, imams, psychologists and counselors strive to realign the detainees' way of thinking in accordance with acceptable social norms.

Efforts are also made, where machinery and skills are available, to provide prisoners with the skills they are capable of employing and which will enable them to lead productive lives after their release.

Food plays a role in these processes in that a hungry prisoner is unlikely to have the peace of mind and strength necessary to subscribe to these programs and actively participate in them. . This, coupled with the other harsh conditions that our prisons present, makes the work of the prison administrator more intimidating.

The result is that the reform and rehabilitation that have emerged as trends to cure the recurrence chancre are either relegated to second place, or totally abandoned, because the provision of food, a basic necessity, is only partly satisfied, thus confirming Pearl Bailey people can not learn or produce anything, except maybe violence. "

Imprisonment is a sufficient punishment

Imprisonment, no doubt, is a sufficient punishment, so that mediocre and unhealthy food must be removed from the prison table to minimize the pain of imprisonment. The discomfort of living under restraint during a prisoner's entire sentence strikes him so hard that the diet must not become a tool used consciously or unconsciously to punish the guilty.

Every day, feeding adult adults with 1.80 GH ¢ is what society still holds grudges against them and probably uses undernourishment as a way to pay them back for crimes committed. This only encourages the prisoner to hate society. This explains why some ex-convicts reintegrate society indignantly, reinforcing their tendency to reoffend and leaving open the unfortunate revolving door of crime.

The urgent need to increase the rate of food for prisoners

The government urgently needs to substantially review the current daily food intake rate of prisoners, which has stagnated at 1.80 GH ¢ for nearly 10 years.

The prison administration has a heavy responsibility for the feeding of prisoners because the struggle to ensure that catering companies regularly supply foodstuffs to the country's institutions is gradually being lost due to the delay in the payment of food supplies.

An upward adjustment in the rate would ensure that the prisoner is well nourished to put him in a satisfactory physical and mental condition and that he will follow programs structured by the Ghana Prison Service to ensure that, when release, the ex-convict is not only eager but also capable of leading a law-abiding life.

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