The Jail, The Jailer And The Jailed In Nigeria

Recent national events have opened my eyes to the righteousness in lending a voice, in consonance with the foray of the Nigerian literati, to address societal impediments. This I do by penning down my thoughts on topical discusses. It became rather right to address myself as a writer ever since. But one of the challenges of budding writers like me is the ability to attract readership. To attract a sizeable number of readers, I have decided to keep away from writing on politics or religion or business et al, but to address the iniquitous aspect of my immediate constituency- the prison. I see myself as an aficionado in penal administration and practice. I have resolved to wail about the problems inherent in the prison system in Nigeria, through the fourth estate, until the power-that-be start pump-priming in the penal sector. My passion for the penal institution is far from ephemeral as all that I know and think about is the 21st century Nigerian Prisons Service which I cannot, in earnest, wait to see all in a pristine condition.

THE JAIL

Jails all over the world are mandated by law to restrain and keep in custody those people accused or convicted for crimes by the state. There are about 144 jails in Nigeria, according to the Nigerian Prison Service website (www.prisons.gov.ng ), with a total capacity of 47,284. Almost all the jails, with the exception of one or two, are in very sorry states. Jails in Nigeria are characterized by dated structures and overpowering stench, nay, dirty environment. The deplorable nature of our jails foretells the quality of their products. A visit to a typical Nigerian jail exudes the parsimonious attitude of government towards the penal institutions. The fixity of government and other stakeholders has deprived jails in Nigeria the grace of modern structures fit for human inhabitation. The Amnesty International reports on Nigerian jails show that the government of Nigeria, Africa's self-acclaimed giant, has a huge task to do in order to meet up with global trend in penal administration. The Kuje, Yenegoa, and Ikot-Ekpene prisons are exceptional. They are a prototype of modern prisons with necessary infrastructure and up-to-date facilities that can compete with any jail in the world. They are the most recent jails in Nigeria, which is why they are not in the class of the rest.

If the government can build a facsimile of the Ikot-Ekpene prison in all the states of the federation, the Criminal Justice System will be the better for it, then critics like me can really take to other vocations, and the rumpus will cease.

THE JAILED

According to the Nigerian Prison Service statistical information provided on its website (www.prisons.gov.ng/about/statistical - info.php), there are 53,816 jailed persons as at 30th April, 2013. Comparing the number of jailed people and the total capacity of jails connotes over-crowding. It is widely acclaimed that jails in Nigeria are bogged down by congestion, no thanks to the awaiting trial phenomenon. This situation, however, is a major challenge to the prison authority in achieving its mandate of reforming, rehabilitating and reintegrating offenders. These inmates are not only famished as they thrive to survive with the limited healthcare available in our jails, they rather become dejected instead of been rehabilitated. What we have as jails neither reforms nor rehabilitates the jailed as there are no equipments to indulge them in vocational trainings nor are there the necessary vehicles for socio-psychological reorientation of the incarcerated. Therefore, the helpless offender leaves the prison without acquiring skills that will help him or her resettle after release. Upon release, most ex-offenders are worse than they were before their confinement to prison. This accounts for the high rate of recidivism experienced in Nigeria.

THE JAILER

A warder or wardress’ job is a noble one that requires individuals with impeccable character and high intelligence. This is because apart from the normal turnkey job of a prison staff, he or she is expected to be a behaviour modifier. This, in effect, makes the prison staff a security agent and more importantly, a correctional officer. Ideally, a prison staff is a psychologist, a social welfarist, a custodian, a trainer and a law enforcement officer. The question is, are Nigerian prison officers in the right shape to provide security and correctional services expected from them? A typical prison staff is rotund, timid and frigid. This is informed by unfriendly working environment and conditions. Little is given to the prison staff, while more is demanded of them. The ordeal faced by prison staff ranges from meagre pay to pay slash ( or “pilfering” like my friend, Fidelis Ajukura, would call it) to lack of office and barrack accommodation, lack of allowances, uniforms and accoutrements, and lack of training and retraining, just to mention but a few. As a result, many prison officers become frustrated and gradually lose morale. Many of them, especially in the rank and file, lack the discipline and rectitude expected of them for the normal functioning of the job. The recruitment process is marred by ethnicity and polymorphous corruption. People are recruited based on sentiments instead of merit; others are recruited on cash-and-carry basis. Hence, all sorts of criminal elements are found on the payroll of the Nigerian Prisons Service who might eventually ascend to the apex of their career, thereby systematically converting the service into private fiefdom, by recruiting more of their kinds.

To be continued…….