Chairman Wontumi Shocks Ghana – Build Private Rooms In Prisons For Married Prisoners

Mr. Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, has reportedly made a shocking appeal to Ghana’s prison authorities that has got many Ghanaians talking.

The Ashanti Regional Chairman of the NPP has reportedly urged the Ghana Prisons Service to consider building private facilities where married inmates can spend intimate time with their spouses during visits.

According to reports, Chairman Wontumi made the call while speaking about prison reforms and the welfare of inmates. He argued that being in prison should not mean the end of a person’s marriage.

He said many married men and women spend three, five, ten years behind bars without ever getting a private moment with their husband or wife. All visits in Ghana are done in the open, with officers watching. There is no privacy, no room to connect as a couple.

“This is killing marriages,” he reportedly said. “Prison should punish and reform, but it should not destroy homes.”

Chairman Wontumi is therefore calling for what is known in other countries as conjugal visits. This is a system where a married prisoner who has shown good behaviour is allowed to spend a few private hours with his or her legal spouse in a special room inside the prison.

This system already exists in some countries. In the United States, Kenya, South Africa and parts of Europe, some prisons have special private rooms for this purpose. Supporters say it has many benefits. It helps keep marriages strong, reduces sexual frustration and tension in prison, improves the mental health of inmates, and even makes prisoners behave better because they want to qualify for the visit.

But critics in Ghana say we are not ready. They point to serious problems in our prisons – overcrowding, poor feeding, lack of beds, and lack of space. They ask, where will we even build these private rooms? Others also raise moral and security concerns.

Since the report came out, Ghanaians on social media are divided. Some say Chairman Wontumi has a valid point and that prisoners are still human beings with rights. Others say the idea is funny and Ghana has more important prison problems to fix first.

The Ghana Prisons Service is yet to officially respond to the proposal.

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