It is true what they
say, the eyes is the window to the soul and
the things we see have untold influence upon us. Three days ago, I
reported for patrol duty at my station with hopes of having a
normal day as usual. Instead, unlike other days that zooms by
uneventfully, that afternoon
started and ended on an emotional note. I had taken over from the morning duty officer, gone round the
yard for inspection and settled down in my scantily furnished office
for the day's job when I noticed a thin little boy, a minor, sitting in
front of the Records office with his chin rested upon his kneels. I
could tell that he was already regretting the deed that got him to
where he was. Every new convict suffer such moments of repentance, of self-hate, once they arrive at the Record Office. The
Record Office, a ten by twelve room, adjacent to my office, is where
new inmates at the prison get documented. I looked closely at the
little boy, trying to place his age. I called him. And as he staggered
towards me, looking fragile and tender; I concluded that he could not be more than 13. When he got closer I asked him his age, and
he stuttered - alas! My guess was right - that he was 13 years old.
I dismissed him, took out my jotter and started scribbling this note.
the things we see have untold influence upon us. Three days ago, I
reported for patrol duty at my station with hopes of having a
normal day as usual. Instead, unlike other days that zooms by
uneventfully, that afternoon
started and ended on an emotional note. I had taken over from the morning duty officer, gone round the
yard for inspection and settled down in my scantily furnished office
for the day's job when I noticed a thin little boy, a minor, sitting in
front of the Records office with his chin rested upon his kneels. I
could tell that he was already regretting the deed that got him to
where he was. Every new convict suffer such moments of repentance, of self-hate, once they arrive at the Record Office. The
Record Office, a ten by twelve room, adjacent to my office, is where
new inmates at the prison get documented. I looked closely at the
little boy, trying to place his age. I called him. And as he staggered
towards me, looking fragile and tender; I concluded that he could not be more than 13. When he got closer I asked him his age, and
he stuttered - alas! My guess was right - that he was 13 years old.
I dismissed him, took out my jotter and started scribbling this note.
The nonchalance or
utter wickedness of a single person could ruin a
million lives. And the failure or outright refusal of other people to seek redress goes a long way in normalizing a lot of anomalies. How
else can this situation be explained? A 'learned' Judge would remand
or sentence a minor to an adult prison; the prison warders then
gladly accept and incarcerate same person. What is even more pathetic is that these minors, on arrival, are lumped together with
adult prisoners without proper classification. Coupled with the harsh
condition inherent there in, I often wonder what these minors
would metamorphose to when eventually let back into the society.
Most minors are first offenders; naive and fragile, probably
students in secondary or primary schools whose futures become terminated with the bang of a gavel! Matter of fact, most minors
tend turn into hardened criminals when they are released, albeit
becoming recidivists. Because imprisoning them jeopardizes their
educational pursuit, parental and societal respect, and their future in
general, they seem to find justification in the life of crime. When this
happens, prisons turn to breeding ground for criminals instead of serving the purpose of correctional facilities!
million lives. And the failure or outright refusal of other people to seek redress goes a long way in normalizing a lot of anomalies. How
else can this situation be explained? A 'learned' Judge would remand
or sentence a minor to an adult prison; the prison warders then
gladly accept and incarcerate same person. What is even more pathetic is that these minors, on arrival, are lumped together with
adult prisoners without proper classification. Coupled with the harsh
condition inherent there in, I often wonder what these minors
would metamorphose to when eventually let back into the society.
Most minors are first offenders; naive and fragile, probably
students in secondary or primary schools whose futures become terminated with the bang of a gavel! Matter of fact, most minors
tend turn into hardened criminals when they are released, albeit
becoming recidivists. Because imprisoning them jeopardizes their
educational pursuit, parental and societal respect, and their future in
general, they seem to find justification in the life of crime. When this
happens, prisons turn to breeding ground for criminals instead of serving the purpose of correctional facilities!
Are Judges who send minors to adult prisons ignorant of fact
that
minor offenders are not to be incarcerated in such facilities? Are
they (the judges) not aware of the grave consequences of such
act, or do they chose to neglect them? Are the prison staffs
mandated to accept minors in our prisons? Is everyone ignorant of
the existence and benefits of borstal institutions?
minor offenders are not to be incarcerated in such facilities? Are
they (the judges) not aware of the grave consequences of such
act, or do they chose to neglect them? Are the prison staffs
mandated to accept minors in our prisons? Is everyone ignorant of
the existence and benefits of borstal institutions?
Minors are special offenders who should be taken to special
facilities
like the borstal and remand homes. A borstal institution is exclusively for the imprisonment of minors who are in conflict with the law. It is structured to provide vocational training and education to young offenders in a suitable environment for children devoid of harshness obtainable in adult prisons. As at the last count, there are three borstal schools in Nigeria, located in Kaduna, Abeokuta and Ilorin. The major culprit in the crime of
imprisoning minors is the police. The police intimidate these minors
and label them with false ages. Again, the prison authorities accept
these minors, against laid down regulation, so as to increase their lock-ups and consequently their imprest. On the other hand, the number of borstal institutions in Nigeria is
grossly inadequate.
like the borstal and remand homes. A borstal institution is exclusively for the imprisonment of minors who are in conflict with the law. It is structured to provide vocational training and education to young offenders in a suitable environment for children devoid of harshness obtainable in adult prisons. As at the last count, there are three borstal schools in Nigeria, located in Kaduna, Abeokuta and Ilorin. The major culprit in the crime of
imprisoning minors is the police. The police intimidate these minors
and label them with false ages. Again, the prison authorities accept
these minors, against laid down regulation, so as to increase their lock-ups and consequently their imprest. On the other hand, the number of borstal institutions in Nigeria is
grossly inadequate.
In the light of
these, I wish to proffer the following solutions to stop the act of
sending
minors to adult prisons:
minors to adult prisons:
1. The Federal Government should build borstal schools in
every
state of the federation.
state of the federation.
2. Judges and Magistrates should be schooled in prison
techniques
to enable them know the dos and don’ts of the prison system.
to enable them know the dos and don’ts of the prison system.
3. The police should be compelled to provide evidence of age
of
suspects in courts.
suspects in courts.
4. Gate officers in prisons should be allowed to reject
minors when they are
brought from the courts. Hence, MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) facilities should
be provided in the prisons.
brought from the courts. Hence, MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) facilities should
be provided in the prisons.
5. Above all, we should be good role models to our minors
to
dissuade them from crime.
dissuade them from crime.
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