Entertainment pundit and music executive Bullgod has called for the introduction of conjugal rights for prisoners in Ghana, suggesting that prostitutes should be allowed to attend to some inmates as part of measures to address their sexual needs during incarceration.

Bullgod argues that imprisonment should deprive people of their liberty, movement and time, but should not strip them of every aspect of their humanity.

He was speaking on the Classy Morning Show on Class 91.3 FM, hosted by DJ Slim, where he backed proposals by New Patriotic Party (NPP) politician Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, for reforms in Ghana’s prison system.

Bullgod said he supported Wontumi’s proposed introduction of conjugal visits and other reforms “a hundred per cent,” arguing that inmates should be given opportunities to maintain intimate relationships during their time in custody.

For inmates who are not married, he suggested allowing prostitutes to visit them to address their sexual needs.

“You see that conjugal, is the most important thing,” Bullgod said, describing the absence of such arrangements as one of the shortcomings of Ghana’s prison system.

He said he learnt that prisoners were not allowed conjugal visits after visiting a friend at the Nsawam Medium Security Prison.

“It doesn't make any sense. As a nation, we've got plenty things wrong,” he said.

Bullgod argued that the purpose of imprisonment was to take away a person's freedom and provide an opportunity for reflection, but maintained that rehabilitation should not require the denial of every natural human need.

“Everything a human being is supposed to do for them to be human, you cannot take it away from them, no matter what they've done,” he asserted.

He added: “Sex is part of us. Sex is nature's call, like you want to go to toilet or urinate. Sex is not a privilege. How do you take that away from people?”

He further described sex as a source of mental and physiological refreshment, arguing that it was important to human wellbeing.

Bullgod said sex “resets everybody,” emphasising that it is “medical and critical to your being,” as he used the argument to reinforce his call for authorities to reconsider restrictions on intimate relationships in prison.

According to Bullgod, his friend told him that the restrictions on sexual relationships in prison had contributed to some inmates engaging in same-sex relationships.

He said the situation raised questions about whether the prison system was contributing to the behaviour it was supposed to manage.

“It means, it's our system that's making that happen,” he said.

Bullgod argued that Wontumi’s experience in prison could help draw attention to these concerns, given his influence and ability to advocate for change.

He also urged Wontumi to take practical steps towards prison reform using his personal resources, including efforts to reduce congestion and establish a farm at Nsawam.

However, Bullgod acknowledged that introducing conjugal visits would require legal changes and parliamentary action.

“For the conjugal part, he would need Parliament. He has to go through the laws, and say that the inmates who declare that they are married they should be allowed to [have sex with their spouses]. Maybe they can go further and say if you are [unmarried] - I do not know if prostitution is legal - they can allow for that too,” he said.

He further cited overcrowding at Nsawam Prison, claiming that a facility built to accommodate about 800 inmates now holds close to 4,000.

Bullgod said prison reform should address both the physical conditions in correctional facilities and the welfare of inmates, including their emotional and intimate needs.

His comments come amid renewed debate over prison conditions following Wontumi’s proposals for a broader overhaul of Ghana’s correctional system, including regulated conjugal visits for married inmates, improved healthcare, better classification of prisoners and investment in prison infrastructure.