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The Vice-President, Mr John Dramani Mahama, has charged the Ghana Prisons Service (GPS) to focus on equipping prisoners with employable skills rather than incapacitating them. He said when prisoners gained skills they would be useful to society instead of just wasting their time in prisons. Mr Mahama made the call at the graduation parade of prisons officers after they had completed the prisons cadet course intake 21 in Accra. One hundred and twenty six trainees who formed up the parade pursued courses including corrections management, social psychology, panel law, physical training and drills. Mr Suo Moses Kwame Animah, received the sword of honour from the Vice-President for emerging the overall best trainee, while Mr Juo Abdul Rahman Issaka, took the academic cane for his exemplary academic acumen. The Vice-President, who was the reviewing officer at the graduation parade, said the days of prisoners �merely wasting� their time in prisons were over and that the modern tradition sought to �empower prisoners rather than incapacitate them.� For instance, he said, in other jurisdictions, psycho therapists were engaged to guide and counsel prisoners as a way of reforming them. Mr Mahama said similar models could be employed in Ghana to give prisoners the opportunity to pursue education to attain diplomas and degrees while serving their sentences. He noted that GPS in collaboration with the Centre for National Distance Learning had introduced some training programmes in some prisons, and indicated that the programmes would be extended to the other prisoners. The Vice-President urged prison officers to be more alert and ensure the safe custody of prisoners. That, he said, was crucial because �without the proper management of the prisons, the administration of justice will be jeopardised�. He underscored the need for prison officers to respect the principles of human rights and be guided by the ideals of vigilance, humility and fortitude in dealing with the prisoners. On the government�s support to the GPS, Mr Mahama said the GPS staff had been migrated onto the Single Spine Salary Structure (SSSS), which had improved their remuneration. He said the daily feeding fee of prisoners was increased from 60 pesewas per prisoner to GHc1.8 in Janurary, 2012, representing an increase of 300 per cent. He said the inauguration of the 2,000-capacity Ankaful Prisons by President John Evans Atta Mills in 2011 had reduced congestion in the various prisons and ensured the safe custody of prisoners. On the December 7, 2012 election, the Vice-President asked prison officers to contribute to maintaining peace before, during and after the election. He charged the graduates to maintain a high level of discipline and respect the ethics of the prison service.