Executive Director Ibrahim Oppong Kwarteng says the paltry travel allowance and social stigma push up to 30 per cent of former inmates back into jail.

Published 9 Nov 2026, 10:19 GMT

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Crime Check Foundation founder Ibrahim Oppong Kwarteng on JoyNews — Ibrahim Oppong Kwarteng of the Crime Check Foundation

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Crime Check Foundation Executive Director Ibrahim Oppong Kwarteng has urged the government to review the GH¢15 transport allowance given to discharged prisoners and adopt the term "returning citizens" instead of "ex-convicts".

Speaking on JoyNews' *The Law* programme on Sunday, November 8, Kwarteng said the GH¢15 travel stipend paid by the Ghana Prisons Service cannot cover transport fares home for former inmates, regardless of the distance to their communities.

When asked by host Samson Lardy Anyenini whether the Prisons Service still pays GH¢15 as transport fare for discharged inmates, Kwarteng confirmed the figure and said interactions with former prisoners showed many get stranded mid-journey.

He warned that leaving discharged prisoners stranded without adequate fare sometimes pushes them to steal along the journey simply to pay their way back to their hometowns, undermining their rehabilitation before they even arrive.

"How do you expect the person to reach their destination with GH¢15? So what happens is that, in the course of their journey, some of them steal on the way because the GH¢15 will not take them to their hometown," Kwarteng said.

The prison reform advocate, who has previously campaigned for higher daily feeding allowances for inmates, blamed the plight of discharged prisoners on weak state planning for post-release reintegration and sustained aftercare.

Beyond financial support, Kwarteng advocated replacing the label "ex-convict" with "returning citizens", noting that observations during a visit to a United States correctional facility last year showed how stigmatising language damages confidence and blocks reintegration.

"They are returning citizens, not ex-convicts. There is a lot of literature that tells us that if we continue to use the ex-convict tag, it does not help in proper reintegration," he said.

Citing estimates that about 30 per cent of former inmates return to prison, Kwarteng noted that two former prisoners featured on the programme had each been jailed three or four times after facing community rejection, unemployment and homelessness.

He urged the media and the public to abandon negative stereotyping and work with state agencies to build livelihood and housing support systems so people leaving prison can rebuild their lives.

Araba IncoomAraba Incoom writes on multiple topics with a vast knowledge across different sector. You can almost call me an AI, after all, my initials are Araba Incoom.

GH¢15 transport for released prisoners is not enough, says Crime Check Foundation

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