THE CHALLENGES FACING PRISON REFORMS IN NIGERIA
ABSTRACT
The main purpose of this study was to find out the challenges facing prison reforms in Nigeria, using the maximum
security prison which locks only male prisoners and the female security prison, both of which are in Kirikiri, Lagos.
Fifty respondents which include both the staff and the inmates of the two prisons (female and maximum security)
prisons were sampled. The respondents views on the challenges facing prison reforms in Nigeria were sampled. The
questionnaire on the challenges facing prison reforms in Nigeria developed by the researcher herself was used for
the measurement of these challenges based on the quality of staff or prison personnel, how well equipped the
Nigerian prison is, the building structure, the society and the criminal justice system.
Ninety-eight percent (98%) of the respondents were of the opinion that the above factors were major challenges
facing prison reforms in Nigeria. There were five hypothesis generated in the study.
They were tested using simple percentages and frequency counts. The study found among many other things, that
the quality of staff is a determinant factor in prison reforms. It was also found out that the criminal justice system,
societal attitude towards ex-prisoners and the under-funding of the prisons pose a lot of challenges to prison reforms.
However, it has been ascertained that these factors encourage over-crowding in the prison and not giving room to
proper reformation of prisoners and their eventual rehabilitation as affirmed by research findings.
Therefore, there is the need for stakeholders to make conscious efforts to reform the Nigerian prison service.
CHAPTER ONE
1.0 BACKGROUND OF STUDY
So much said in recent times about prison and the need to reform.
They, as much as insinuated that the prison do not perform their function at present as expected, and if any
rehabilitation is accomplished at all, it is affected not because of imprisonment but other factors. The Nigeria president
olusegun obasanjo in his July 2005 television monthly chat opened that the Nigeria prison services are not the job
they arrogated to themselves.
There is no doubt that the modern prison is enmeshed in crises of identity whatever is for it is for one clear and single
purpose said Lionel fox (1952 p. 15). According to neiderhofer (1981), a prison was formerly an institution establish
purposely for punishment. Custody and control. In the report and recommendations on the classification of prisoners
and the grouping of prison and lock –ups on function basis (1975) it reiterated “when emphasis was on the early
primary aims of society, the job of the prison officers was easy. It was purely and simply custodial. Prisoners were
subject to hard and rules. Criminal captive so indeed they were regarded as, retrograde and were so treated. This
crisis might have gradually crept in when penologist now strove to meet a new concept and goal of treatment and
rehabilitation. No longer is the criminal regarded as enemy of society someone who needs great attention and
assistance. Li wand explain that the zeal for prison reform was aroused after the American Revolution by the Quakers
and famous Philadelphian as Ben Franklin and Benjamin Rush took the leadin setting up penal institution based on
new concept of justices and perfectibility of man. John Howard the magna carta of prison management has this idea
that “if you made prisoners think they would see the error of their ways’’.
In 1955 the united nation unanimously adopted the rules on the prevention of crime and the treatment of the
offenders. It state inter –alia. ‘’The purpose and justification sentence of imprisonment or similar measure derivative
liberty is ultimately to protect society against crime’’. This can only be achieved if the period of imprisonment is used
to ensure that the offender leads a law abiding and self-reliant life when he/she eventually returns to the society.
To this end, the prison institution needs to utilize all the remedial, education, moral, spiritual and other forms of
assistance available. This should be applied according to individual treatment needs of the prisoners. According to Sir
Alexander Paterson, a prison administrator, the first duty of the prison warden is to ensure at least that a man
emerging from prison is no more deprived than when he entered it.
In a study carried out by the National Commission on law observance and Enforcement in 1931 in Federal and state
prison in the united state, it was reported that the present system of the united state of American had failed. The
commission based its conclusion on finding that the men who were released were not better equipped to accept an
honest role in the world than before commitment. Leiwand (1972) put it thus, institution founded upon high hopes and
loftly aspirations during the mid-nineteenth century and early twentieth century to solve the problems of crime… are
failing us as we approach the twenty-first century Following the earlier reforms the walnut street jail become the first penitentiary in the united state which separated
hardened criminals from first time offender and civil offenders. This was widely copied by other prison. Leiwand (1972
p. 27) reiterated that “despite a promising beginning the walnut street jail was not the great success for which its
founder had hoped. It was doomed to go down to defeat because of welter of politics, incompetent personal,
overcrowding, idleness and inadequate financial support’’
Similar circumstances have hampered the Nigerian prison service which has been described as a “modern day
dungeon according to west idahosa who was elected to represent Edo North Federal Constituency in the house of
Representative in Nigeria (April 2006 pg 5 and chesa (Jan 2006 pg B/17) simply described it as hellish”. This
condition he attributed to overcrowding, inadequate feeding, poor sanitary and medical facilities illegal detentions,
inadequate recreation, vocational facilities and poorly designed facilities.
“It is no secret that prison infrastructure in the country is a shambles.…. Prisoners are held in dilapidation building,
some of them erected, many years ago, prisoners like Bauchi construction in 1820, Yola: 1905, Sokoto: 1908, Kano:
1903 among others are begging for both structural and aesthetic renovations’’ PRAWA (March1999 pg 6).
Ahamadu (1971) observed that a prison is said to be crowded not only when it holds more person than its rated
capacity (that is the capacity determined by architects and planners) but also when the ratio between personnel and
inmates exceeds a certain proportion. Quinney (1979) is of the view that even when treatment programmes are
provided they are as dehumanizing as imprisonment.
The Nigerian prison service in their view has been performing their functions to the best of their ability and equipment.
According to the report and recommendation on the classification of prisoners… it is a mistaken belief that no
classification can be done without the participation of qualified graduate psychiatrist, psychology and sociology. They
can be substituted with qualified psychiatrist Nursing Superintendent. According to Giwa Osagie “our prison system is
reformative and not punitive. The process of imprisonment start from the time a person is arrested, remanded,
charged, tried and convicted, He, however, admitted that the process of justice is so slow that many inmates awaiting
trial have to remain under painful suspense for very long before their fate is decided ‘’The mental agony and physical
strain undergone before his conviction and the deprivation of liberty would seem to be enough punishment” he said.
According to the federal government’s policy on the reorganization of prison (1971), the Nigerian prison service had
been providing the inmate with social, educational and skills with a view to making him employable on release.
In spite of the claims of the Nigeria prison, recidivism rate can be accounted for by the ways in which treatment
programmes are being implemented. In Giwa Osagies view “our prison are very badly planned and cannot serve modern requirements.’’
THE CHALLENGES FACING PRISON REFORMS IN NIGERIA