Accra June 5, GNA - Authorities of the Senior Correction Center (SCC), the nation's premier juvenile correctional institution, on Saturday appealed to government to speed up the process of increasing the feeding grant to enhance the efficient and effective management of the center. "Currently the amount government gives to the inmates as daily feeding fees is 60 Ghana pesewas which is woefully inadequate, especially as they eat more for growth at this adolescent stage".

Madam Florence Asantewaa Appiah, Assistant Director of Prisons said this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency during a visit to the Center in Accra on Saturday.

The SCC, formerly Borstal Institute, was established in 1947 during the colonial days to rehabilitate child offenders.

It currently has 115 inmates who are between the ages of 13 and 21. The visit, facilitated by Men of Vision and Evangelism (MOVE), the male wing of the Harvest Chapel International, was to enable the group to interact and share the word of God with the inmates. The group also presented about 10 boxes of medicated soap and dined with the inmates to signify the unflinching love Jesus Christ had for mankind.

Madam Appiah said the SCC also faced a lot of challenges including the lack of basic technical and vocational training plant and equipment to transform the inmates.

The Shoemaking, Carpentry, Tailoring, Basketry, Soap-Making and other vocational workshops of the institute have all broken down. She expressed concern about the poor state of the center and called on the government and non-governmental organizations to assist the institutions.

The Rev Edward Randolph-Koranteng, President of MOVE, said it was one of the group's mission to reach out to unbelievers and inmates to help rehabilitate and properly re-integrate them into society after serving their time.

"One of the cardinal aims of MOVE is to mentor future fathers and win souls for Jesus Christ," he said. Rev. Randolph-Koranteng advised the inmates to turn on a new leaf when released and work hard to achieve their potential adding "you are young and still have life ahead of you".

He told the inmates that "life is a matter of step by step," adding that they should not rush and do things that would land them in jail. "The Correction Center is not your last stop in life. You have the potential to become great persons in life," he noted.