The Director-General of the Ghana Prisons Service, Patience Baffoe-Bonnie, has raised concerns about the poor working conditions of prison officers, warning that the situation is affecting their mental health and discouraging people from joining the service.
Speaking before Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee on Tuesday, October 20, she said some officers were compelled to live in the same spaces as convicted inmates, exposing them to difficult conditions despite not having committed any offence.
“Working as a prison officer is hell,” she told the committee, describing the psychological, emotional and physical toll of the job.
“Everything about a prison officer is highly challenging because the prison officer, who is not convicted of any offence, is compelled to live in the same space as somebody who is convicted,” she said.
According to her, the conditions in the prison environment affect officers directly, leaving many struggling with depression and other emotional challenges.
She also expressed concern about the declining interest in prison service recruitment, citing the number of people who purchased application forms during the most recent recruitment exercise.
Baffoe-Bonnie said the figures raised serious concerns because interest in joining the Prisons Service was considerably lower than in other security agencies.
She attributed the situation to the difficult working environment and inadequate pay, arguing that the country must do more to compensate officers for the demands and risks of their work.
“The environment is toxic, the salary is not too good, and we must begin to compensate for these things as part of salary, as a country,” she said.
The Prisons Service Director-General stressed that improving salaries and working conditions was necessary to attract qualified and committed people into the service.
“We have to attract the right people to do all that we are saying around the table,” she added.
She expressed hope that her appeal before the committee would help the public better understand the challenges confronting prison officers and encourage greater support for efforts to improve their welfare.
