This is the seond and final part of an opinion article researched and written by Desmond Nana Akuoko Bress-Biney and S. Adom Anorkwah published here by AFENYA MEDIA without any additions or omissions.
Diversifying Inmate Work Beyond Agriculture
While agriculture provides a strong foundation for inmate rehabilitation, relying solely on farming limits economic opportunities. Expanding into technology, manufacturing, and the creative arts can open new pathways for skill development and revenue generation.
Establishing prison-based IT training centers could equip inmates with skills in coding, data entry, and graphic design, creating employment opportunities through partnerships with non-governmental organisations (NGOs), international social development agencies, universities and private companies. India’s Tihar Jail has successfully implemented a business outsourcing unit where inmates provide IT services, offering a replicable model for Ghana. Additionally, expanding prison workshops to include furniture production, textiles, and handicrafts can enhance vocational training. Collaborations with local businesses can facilitate the sale of inmate-produced goods in national and international markets, ensuring sustainable economic impact. Creative arts and media production also present valuable opportunities for rehabilitation. Inmates with artistic talent can engage in music production, painting, and writing, contributing to Ghana’s vibrant arts industry.
Potential Resistance and Addressing Ethical Concerns and Human Rights Compliance
Although some sectors have been mentioned as areas the government, can explore, to mitigate concerns from labour unions, human rights groups, and policymakers regarding prison labour potentially undermining free-market employment, Ghana can adopt a structured approach that aligns inmate work with sectors facing labour shortages rather than competing with existing jobs. For instance, according to MoFA, the country faces a deficit of over 100,000 skilled agricultural workers annually, creating an opportunity for structured prison farm programs to fill this gap. Additionally, the Ghana Statistical Service reports that the construction sector struggles with a 25% shortage of skilled masons, carpenters, and plumbers. By focusing on such underserved industries and ensuring fair wage policies – where inmates earn at least 50% of market wages, with a portion allocated for savings and family support – prison enterprises can serve as a complementary workforce solution rather than a competitor to free labour markets.
Transparent regulatory oversight and collaboration with industry stakeholders can further ensure that prison labour is ethical, rehabilitative, and aligned with national development goals. Transparent policies must govern inmate work, including fair wage structures that prevent forced labour and ensure that earnings contribute to inmate welfare. Independent oversight bodies should monitor prison enterprises to uphold human rights standards, and inmate participation must be strictly voluntary. Germany’s prison labour program serves as an exemplary model of ethical management. Inmates work under well-regulated conditions, receive fair wages, and benefit from educational opportunities designed to improve their employment prospects after release. Ghana can adopt similar best practices to safeguard human rights while fostering rehabilitation.
Call for Collaboration
To attract investors and sustain financing for prison enterprise initiatives in Ghana, a strategic funding model should leverage partnerships with organizations engaged in social impact investments and correctional reform. The World Bank has supported justice sector reforms and correctional facility improvements in developing nations through various initiatives. Additionally, the International Labour Organization (ILO) promotes prison labour programs that align with ethical employment standards. Locally, institutions such as the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) and the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (NEIP) provide incentives for private-sector investment and entrepreneurship, which could be explored for prison enterprise initiatives. Companies engaged in corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives, including AngloGold Ashanti and MTN Ghana Foundation, have a history of investing in economic empowerment and vocational training programs, making them potential funding partners.
To ensure long-term sustainability, Ghana’s government could consider implementing a social impact bond (SIB) model, a globally recognized financing approach where private investors provide upfront funding for social initiatives and receive returns based on predefined success metrics, such as reduced recidivism and revenue generation.
Overcoming Feasibility Challenges
Implementing large-scale prison enterprises in Ghana requires a multi-faceted approach:
- Funding and Investment: Public-private partnerships, reinvestment of revenue from prison enterprises, and grants from international organizations can provide financial support.
- Legislative Support: Amending prison laws to allow structured inmate labour programs is essential. Advocacy from policymakers, correctional officers, and human rights organizations will be key. Also, attention to the pending Community Service Sentencing Bill (Non-custodial sentences)
- Infrastructure Development: Upgrading and intensifying existing prison facilities to accommodate vocational training centers and production units is necessary for effective implementation.
Measuring Success: The Impact of Prison Enterprises
Measuring the success of prison enterprises can be done through several key performance indicators:
- Reduction in Recidivism Rates: Research shows that inmates who undergo vocational training are 43% less likely to reoffend.
- Economic Contribution: Documenting revenue generated through prison enterprises will assess financial viability and sustainability.
- Inmate Reintegration: Monitoring post-release employment rates will help evaluate how well former inmates secure stable jobs.
Conclusion
The establishment of prison enterprises presents a transformative opportunity for Ghana to address its overcrowded prisons and infrastructural deficits. By harnessing the labour potential of inmates, implementing structured work programs, and ensuring ethical compliance, Ghana can create a self-sustaining prison system that contributes to national development. Successful models from countries like Norway, Zambia, and India demonstrate that prison enterprises can be both economically viable and socially beneficial. Ghana stands to gain tremendously by adapting these models to its local context, ensuring that inmates leave prison not as societal burdens but as empowered individuals ready to contribute to the economy.
Now is the time for bold reforms. The path to a reformed prison system lies in enterprise-driven rehabilitation – one that benefits not just inmates, but society as a whole.
By Desmond Nana Akuoko Bress-Biney
Sustainable Business and Development Consultant
AdvD|BBA|IIM-PM|MSc
Ghana-USA
- Adom Anorkwah
Sustainability Practitioner
BA, MSc, LLB Candidate
Accra, Ghana