Ghana’s Prison Service is sounding an urgent alarm — pleading with citizens to show greater compassion, guidance, and support to inmates, especially the rising wave of young offenders whose futures now hang in the balance.
Ing. James B. Mwinyelle, Deputy Director of Prisons and Officer-in-Charge of the Kumasi Central Prison, revealed that an overwhelming 70 to 80 percent of inmates at the facility are between the ages of 20 and 35, a situation he described as a tragic drain on the nation’s human capital.
According to him, every young person lost to crime represents a stalled dream, an abandoned potential, and a setback to national growth.
He made the passionate appeal during a donation exercise by the Time To Think Foundation and EBAM Foundation, who presented items and support to inmates at the Kumasi Central Prison.
Ing. Mwinyelle called on families, faith-based institutions, youth advocates, and community leaders to intensify preventive interventions — including mentorship, moral guidance, skills training, and rehabilitation initiatives — to redirect vulnerable young people away from crime and toward meaningful opportunities.
He stressed that ignoring incarcerated youth today may return to hurt society tomorrow, warning that crime prevention is a shared social duty — not just a prison mandate.
Pastor Richard Kofi Akosah, CEO of Time To Think Foundation, encouraged inmates to remain hopeful, assuring them that society has not abandoned them and that reintegration and restoration remain possible with the right support and guidance.
