Ex-convict and now minister of God Reverend David Gmercie has condemned the poor feeding in the country’s prisons, claiming that the kind of gari served to prisoners cannot be found on the food market in Ghana.

Rev. Gmercie was granted amnesty in 2009 after serving 19 years in prison for murdering an American lady.

There have been serious concerns on human rights violations such as poor quality and quantity of food, poor hygiene, lack of adequate sleeping accommodation, poor ventilation, a high risk of contamination of diseases, as well as very limited access to medical treatment, recreational activities and work opportunities.

Speaking on 3FM’s Sunrise, Rev. Gmercie complained about the poor foods that are given to prisoners and stated that it will be difficult for anybody to survive on that for 3 years running “As a matter of fact, the food is very bad so imagine feeding a human being with GHC1.80 a day, what will be the quality of food, he asked.

“When I came out of prison, I went to the market to look for the kind of gari prisoners eat in prison and to be very honest, we don’t have that kind of gari on the market.

“I wonder where they get the gari and it’s some kind of rough gari which you wouldn’t find on the market because nobody will buy it if it’s sold on the market.

“If you have to depend on what the prison kitchen gives you, I believe you will be dead in one year.

“The quality of food is so poor that if a human being has to depend on the whole term he stays at the prison, then they wouldn’t survive.

“For instance, I served 19 years and if I had to depend on that prison food, I don’t think I would have survived even 3 years.

“God was on my side because my family took care of me when I was in prison. So, imagine a prisoner in prison who hasn’t got anyone to visit him for a couple of years.”