GH¢15 transport allowance inadequate for released prisoners – Crime Check Foundation boss
The Executive Director of Crime Check Foundation, Ibrahim Oppong Kwarteng, has described the GH¢15 transport allowance given to released prisoners as woefully inadequate, calling on the government to review the support.
Ibrahim Oppong Kwarteng, the Executive Director of Crime Check Foundation, has criticized the GH¢15 transport allowance provided to released prisoners as woefully insufficient. Speaking on JoyNews' The Law with Samson Lardy, Kwarteng emphasized that this allowance is not enough to cover the cost of transportation, regardless of the distance the former inmates have to travel.
He highlighted that the lack of adequate support often leads released prisoners to resort to theft while traveling home to raise money for the remainder of their journey. Kwarteng explained that some ex-inmates steal not out of criminal intent but because the state-provided funds cannot get them to their destinations. With the increase in feeding fees from GH¢1.80 pesewas to GH¢15, he believes the transport allowance may also rise, yet it remains inadequate.
He questioned how anyone could reach their destination with just GH¢15. The Crime Check Foundation boss stated that he has heard numerous accounts from former inmates about their attempts to steal on the way home due to financial constraints. He attributes this issue partly to insufficient government planning for the reintegration of prisoners, warning that such support gaps could hinder efforts to reform and rehabilitate offenders.
Kwarteng is urging the government to review the GH¢15 allowance and provide more adequate financial support to help released prisoners return to their communities and start rebuilding their lives.
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