By Bolaji Odumade
Naturally, we have sufficient number of Nigerians speaking out on the poor state of infrastructure, unemployment, inflation, and corruption, among others. Sadly, however, no one seems to be worrying about the shortage of something that is quite essential to social justice.
Few are concerned about the state of our prison and welfare of prison inmates in the country. Admittedly, peaceful co-existence is only guaranteed in an atmosphere of wilful submission to the rule of law governing the society as it is often said that an environment that has no law binding its existence cannot indict anyone of offence.
Prison is an institution created by the law to provide rehabilitation and correctional facility for those who violated the law as a punitive measure. Considering this, one is compelled to ask how the society perceives prison experience and how ex-convicts are integrated back into the society?
There have been instances where ex-convicts came out to become better citizens, while majority of others further consolidate on the criminal acts that previously sent them to prison. In many instances, society seems to further compound the plight of ex-convicts by their stigmatization. Hardly will anyone want to associate with them after release, thus making their re-integration a mirage. It is bad enough that society avoids them like the plague, but worse still that their immediate and extended families become a laughing stock in their immediate environment.
The origin of modern prison services in Nigeria is dated back to 1861, when it was first conceptualised. The intention of the colonial government in establishing prison was to protect their businesses as well as secure the activities of the missionaries. To this end, the acting governor of the colony, who was then a prominent British merchant in Lagos formed a police force of about 25 constables. This was followed by the establishment, in Lagos, of four courts in 1863, namely: a police court to resolve petty disputes, a criminal court to try more serious cases, a slave court to try cases arising from their efforts to abolish the trade in slaves and commercial court to resolve disputes among merchants or traders.
The responsibilities of these courts and police during colonial era necessitated the need for prisons to compliment the duo. In 1872, the Broad Street prison was established with a capacity for about 300 inmates. The colonial prisons at this stage were not designed to reform anyone. There was no systematic penal policy for which direction could be sought for penal administration, instead, prisoners were used for public works and other menial jobs as dictated by the colonial administration. The need for unification of prisons in Nigeria led to the termination of Native Authority Prisons in 1968.
Consequently, in 1972, Decree 9 established the need to introduce specified units to take care of specific areas of prison services. Technical division was charged with the responsibility of general administration, provision of logistics and supervision of prison investments. Inspectorate division was saddled with activities such as staff recruitment, deployment, training, promotion and discipline. The treatment of inmates/training and rehabilitation was the responsibility of welfare division.
Besides, the division sees to the medical needs of the prisons, while interfacing between the prison and voluntary (humanitarian) organizations that help in treatment and rehabilitation of prisoners. This division has additional responsibility of keeping the prison environment healthy and conducive for inmates while providing them with opportunity to acquire vocational skills such as tailoring, carpentry, painting etc. in the course of their prison terms.
In terms of rehabilitation, Nigeria’s prison looks like a bad solution. Over the years, the welfare of prison inmates in Nigeria has deteriorated as many such prisons do not meet the minimum standard of treatment that should be given to prisoners.
Other rights violated include the rights to reasonable feeding, good accommodation, medical facility and other needed provisions or logistics. Until Lagos State, among few other states of the federation donated brand new Toyota Coaster buses to convey prison inmates awaiting trial, oven or heat- entrapped Black maria lorries were the fashionable means of moving inmates around.
Many prisons are seen to be over-congested with attendant facility decay, thus jeorpadising the lives of inmates. In recent times, many incidents of jailbreaks have been traced to the poor minimum welfare conditions of inmates. In Gombe State, it was reported that about 669 inmates are to be treated for scabies ( a disease prevalent in places like Nigeria, with over-populated prisons).
It is often said that a hungry man is an angry man, hence the frustration/desperation of inmates coupled with congestion, in a poor sanitary environment is ready fuel for attempted jailbreak that was rampant in some parts of the country.
Against the goal of the Nigeria Prisons Service, which is the reformation and safety of legally sentenced inmates, the prison has added responsibility to train inmates in trades or vocations for their benefits and that of society during confinement. Many of the prisons that are supposed to accommodate about 300 inmates have about 750 occupants. In present day Nigeria where latrines are being phased out, it is disgusting that bucket latrines which constitute a serious health hazard are in use in some Nigerian prisons, while little or no medical facilities are on ground for inmates. Funds and welfare packages also meant for inmates are often allegedly diverted to other purposes. Thus, inmates are often malnourished without bedding spaces for most of them.
In as much as the prison should not be a palace for inmates, it should equally not be a place where inmates should experience hell on earth. It is, therefore, important that the prison institution in Nigeria is urgently reformed. In this regard, there is need for the authorities concerned to make available educational/vocational facilities and other such things that could readily support the needs of inmates. The earlier this is done, the better for the society.
Odumade writes from Lagos