An Assessment on Socio-Economy Dimension of Custodial Nature of Imprisonment in Nigerian Prisons

Abstract

This study examines the state of custody and its socio-economic impact on society and Government based on analysis of statistical data on nationwide prison inmate disposition. The mobile nature of prison population, paucity of statistical data, inadequacy of skilled statisticians and literature on some of the issues under review however, posed some measure of limitation to the comprehensiveness of the study. The study identifies poverty, unemployment, especially as it affects the youths, unbridled quest for materialism, corruption and moral decadence in the society as factors fuelling criminality and its subsequent implications. It further posits that the new democratic dispensation has a moral duty to positively demonstrate its new orientation on past human right abuses as it affects prisoners in line with the provisions of international statutes to which it is a signatory. The essay traced the global evolution of the penal system observing the gradual change in perception of penal institutions from the repressive punitive stance of over three centuries ago, to the new orientation hinged on humane containment, reformation, rehabilitation and reintegration of the offender. It also notes the provisions of prison ordinance No. 21 passed in 1916 as the major turning point in prison administration. The study revealed that wide variation in prison inmate population exist from one region to another, between and within zones, state commands and individual prisons, and in relation to the installed capacity. Further, socio-culturally diverse, densely populated industrial cities especially those in the southern commands of the country were found to be worse affected by inmate congestion both in terms of adequacy of inmate cell space and in number of awaiting trial population. The study surprisingly observed that overcrowding in prison, viewed in a more general perspective is more due to uneven distribution of inmates rather than inadequacy or lack of space. Most of the pre-trial detainees were in custody on charges for offences that do not attract bail. The high awaiting-trial population was traced partly to a penal orientation of over use of sentencing options, functional inadequacies of the arms of the three arms of the criminal justice, limited funding to the service, and existence of certain obsolete provisions of the prison act. The essay notes that absence of proper prison classification, only succeed in creating a situation of re-cycling ill-reformed convicts exposed to further risk to life threatening diseases. The essay also discussed policy options in some health management areas and also proffered recommendations and implementation strategies toward tackling problems of prison classification and other issues relevant to prisoner rehabilitation, stressing that the prison service must be adequately empowered morally and financially if it is to cope with the challenges arising there from.