Life In A Correctional Facility: Experiences And Perspectives Of Inmates And Officers

ABSTRACT In recent years, the issue of juvenile delinquency has become a growing concern worldwide, because in many societies, children are not expected to come into contact with the justice system. This study explored the experiences and perspectives of inmates and officers of the Senior Correctional Center in Accra. The objectives of the study were to find out reasons why inmates committed the acts that led to their detention at the Senior Correctional Center in Accra, explore benefits inmates derive in the Senior Correctional Center in Accra, explore challenges inmates face in the Senior Correctional Center in Accra, identify coping strategies adopted by inmates in the Senior Correctional Center and to ascertain the training programs available to inmates in the Senior Correctional Center in Accra. The study used a qualitative research design. Twenty-six participants were purposively recruited for this study. Eighteen of the participants were inmates and eight were officers who served as key informants. The study found that some of the delinquent acts committed by inmates were defilement, murder and stealing. The findings also indicated that inmates‘ reasons for committing these delinquent acts were poor parental supervision and separation from parents, peer influence and exposure to negative behaviors from some adults and peers in the community. Moreover, the findings revealed that inmates of the Senior Correctional Center derived some benefits from their stay at the center such as cordial relationship with officers. Inmates experienced some challenges at the center such as inadequate food. Some of the strategies adopted by inmates to overcome their challenges at the center include long hours of sleep and isolation. Furthermore, the findings indicated that vocational and educational training programs were some of the programs available for the correction of inmates at the center. The study recommends that the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection in collaboration with the Ghana Prisons Service put measures in place for the welfare of inmates.