KNUST Vice-Chancellor proposes renaming Ghana Prisons Service

Professor Christian Agyare, Vice-Chancellor of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), has proposed renaming the Ghana Prisons Service to the Ghana Correctional Service. He argued that the current name carries a punitive connotation focused on incarceration, whereas a correctional model aligns with global best practices emphasizing reformation, rehabilitation, and reintegration.

Prof. Agyare suggested that this shift in identity could attract increased support from academia, industry, and development partners. Such collaboration could facilitate inmate skills training, education, healthcare, and agricultural projects, such as aquaculture, to prepare inmates for productive lives after their sentences.

The proposal was discussed during a meeting with the Ashanti Regional Prisons Commander and Officer-in-Charge of the Kumasi Central Prison, Deputy Director of Prisons James B. Mwinyelle. During the meeting, the Prisons Administration presented a proposal for support regarding inmate health, skills training, and agriculture. DDP Mwinyelle expressed appreciation for the dialogue and indicated that the Prisons Administration would work toward the renaming of the service.