STATIONS UNDER THE COMMAND
- Ho Central Prison
- Ho Female Prison
- Kete Krachi Local Prison
- Kpando Local Prison.
The exact year the Prison was established is not known but available record indicates that it was established earlier than 1948. The Prison was one of the four/4 Prisons in the then Togoland Territory under United Kingdom Trusteeship and was treated as an integral part of the prison system of the then Gold Coast.
The Prison was established to cater for offenders who were convicted for various offences in the Region. It was classified as a Local Prison and for that matter kept prisoners serving sentences of less than two years only. However, it was upgraded to a Central Prison when the Ghana Prison Service became autonomous in 1964. It now admits all categories of prisoners except Lifers and Condemned prisoners.
Before the Service became autonomous in 1964 and was renamed Ghana Prisons Service, District Agent of Ho acted as Officer-in-charge of the station. It was after 1964 that the Service started appointing Prison Officers as Officer-in-charge. However, there are no records of who the Officer-in-charges were between 1964 and 1967.
The facility has five/5 workshops namely:- Carpentry, Tailoring, Electrical, Kente weaving and Block moulding. They are all located outside the Prison. On top of the workshop building is residential accommodation for officers.
Authorized Capacity
The Facility was built on 4.147 acre land to accommodate One Hundred and Seventy/170 inmates but currently, the inmates population is around Three Hundred and Fifty with the number on the rise, with a staff strength of two hundred and forty-six/246.
Major Rehabilitation Programmes:
- Carpentry
- Kente weaving
- Electricals
- Tailoring
- Masonry
- Formal Education
Areas of collaboration
The Ho Central Prison in an ardent manner engages with various external collaborators for support of inmates. Our current areas of collaboration include partnerships with Churches within the localities, Prison Ministry of Ghana, Ho Municipal Assembly and the office of the Member of Parliament. The Regional Commander is working tirelessly to liaise with the current Regional Minister, Municipal Chief Executive, stakeholders and philanthropists to engage the Prison in any project that is geared to the development of the region and revamping the current state of the Prison. The Regional Commander is also in talks with the National Vocational Training Institute (N.V.T.I.) for examination and certification to inmates who excel in the various areas of training after completion before their discharge dates.
BRIEF HISTORY OF HO FEMALE PRISON
The Ho Female Prison was established in 1959. During that time, the Female Prison was attached to the Ho Central Prison. The Prison became autonomous in 1964 when the service started appointing Prison Officers as Officers-In-Charge. The Female Prison is situated at Ho Bankoe and it is built on the same 4.147 acre land as the Central Prison. The Female Prison shares wall with the Central Prison on the east and the front view of the Female Prison faces the Quarters Block B. The Female Prison has staff strength of Eighty-Seven/87 comprising Eight/8 Senior Officers and Seventy-Nine Junior Officers.
Authorized Capacity:
The Facility was built to accommodate Twenty-Four/24 female inmates but currently, the inmates population is Twelve/12. The station admits the following categories of inmates:
- Convict Prisoners
- Remand Prisoners
- Trial Prisoners
Major Rehabilitation Programmes:
- Doormat weaving
- Liquid soap and bleach making
- Bakery (Bread)
BRIEF HISTORY OF KETE- KRACHI LOCAL PRISON
The prison is under the Ho Regional Command and has a history rooted in the German colonial era. Initially, a fortified prison was built near the Volta River in Krachikrom by Lieutenant Kitel and Nana Nerder I in 1911. The Prison was used to detain those who violated rules or committed offenses. After the struggle for colonial authority in 1914, the German merchants handed over the prison and other propertied to the British.
The prison remained under British control until Ghana gained independence in 1957. With the construction of Akosombo Dam in 1962, the relocation of town along the Volta River, including Kete Krachi, became necessary. The government decided to maintain a prison in the area, so a new facility was built on Land from the then Omanhene, Nana Bedumgya II, in 1964 and commissioned in 1965. This new prison, known as Kete Krachi local prison, now occupies a larger property of 10.07 acres, out of this the prison covers 4 acres, the barracks 0.29 acres leaving a bare land of 5.78 acres. The prison was purposely built to detain political people who were sentenced. The categories of prisoners are lifers, recidivist, first offenders and remands.
Authorized Capacity
The prison with an authorized capacity of about 400, currently has an inmate lock-up of 231.
Major Rehabilitation Programmes
The Prison is actively engaged in some key rehabilitation and reformation initiatives aimed at equipping inmates with skills, promoting mental well-being and fostering positive behavioural change.
- Entrepreneurial Skills Drive for Inmates: This program focuses on providing inmates with practical skills and knowledge to pursue entrepreneurial ventures. As part of this drive, the tailoring shop has been recently renovated, creating more conducive environment. Furthermore, five (5) new sewing machines have been added, significantly increasing the capacity to train a larger number of inmates.
- Training Inmates in Beekeeping: Recognizing the potential for sustainable income generation and agricultural skills, the station has trained inmates on beekeeping. This provides inmates with experience in managing beehives and honey production.
- Mental Health Education: Acknowledging the critical importance of mental well-being, the station provides mental health education to inmates. This programs aims to increase awareness of mental health issues, providing coping mechanisms, and offer support to inmates experiencing psychological challenges, contributing to their overall rehabilitation and stability.
- Music Reformation: Prison choir was resourced with new musical instruments and choir robes.
Areas of collaboration
Kete Krachi Local Prison actively engages with various external partners for support of inmates. Our current and potential areas of collaboration include partnerships with Local Council of Churches, Prison Ministry of Ghana, Municipal Assembly, office of the Member of Parliament (MP), World Vision and Krachi Traditional Area.
BRIEF HISTORY OF KPANDO LOCAL PRISON
The Kpando Local Prison was established between 1900-1919 when the administration of the British Togoland was in the hands of the Germans. Though the German and British colonial administrators were the brain behind the establishment of Kpando Prison, some traditional personalities also contributed immensely to release land to the Gold Coast Government. The prison is located on a hill called Kpando Todzi in the Kpando Township on the way to Torkor (River side). The prison has a total land size of 17.52acres and this covers the prison yard, primary and junior high school blocks and barracks. The categories of inmates are first offenders, recidivists, remands and debtors
Authorized Capacity
The station is designed to house about fifty-five/55 inmates but currently holding an average of two hundred /200 inmates.
Major Rehabilitation Programmes
The station currently undertakes the following rehabilitation programmes;
- Tailoring
- Agriculture
Areas of collaboration
The station is currently benefiting from the EMO FOUNDATION located in Kpando in the construction of a workshop for inmates rehabilitation. The workshop space consists of carpentry, tailoring and electronic shops which is at the painting stage and is set to be completed soon.
