'Working as a prison officer is a hell; the average officer is usually depressed' - D-G Ghana Prisons Service

The Director-General of the Ghana Prisons Service, Patience Baffoe-Bonnie, has described working conditions in the prisons as psychologically and emotionally challenging, warning that the environment causes depression among officers.

She said prison officers were often compelled to work and live in conditions similar to those experienced by inmates, despite not having been convicted of any offence.

Patience Baffoe-Bonnie made the remarks when she appeared before the Public Accounts Committee on Tuesday, October 20, 2026.

“Working as a prison officer is a hell; it has a psychological effect, emotional effect; everything about a prison is highly challenged; the prison officer who is not convicted of any offence is compelled to live in the space as somebody who is convicted. What it means is that every bad condition in that environment is directly linked to the prison officer,” she said.

According to her, the difficult working environment, coupled with relatively unattractive salaries, has made the service less appealing to prospective recruits.

She cited the most recent recruitment exercise as an example, noting that fewer people sought to purchase application forms for the Prisons Service compared with other security agencies.

“So, the average prison officer is usually depressed. The last recruitment we did, when you look at the trend, the people who wanted to buy the prison forms were far less than all the other agencies,” she added.

Baffoe-Bonnie said the trend suggested that many prospective applicants were reluctant to join the service because of its challenging working conditions and low remuneration.

"People are not ready to be prison officers because the environment is toxic, the salary is not too good," she noted.

She called for improved conditions of service and additional incentives to make prison work more attractive and help the service recruit suitable personnel.

“We must begin to compensate for things as part of salary; we have to attract the right people,” she said.