NGO seeks long-term strategy to decongest detention centers
The Prisoners' Rehabilitation and Welfare Action (PRAWA), an NGO, has called for sustained mechanisms to decongest custodial centers so they can effectively and efficiently run the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) in Nigeria.
This is contained in a statement by the Deputy Director, PRAWA, Barr. Ogechi Ogu, on Thursday in Abuja.
Ogu said that in spite of all efforts, there was a need to look beyond the reduction of the number of persons already in custody.
She said that there was a need to focus more on efforts that would help reduce the inflow into these custodial centers.
She also said that it was important to consider the fact that efforts at releasing a few inmates from custody could be countered and frustrated by a heavy inflow in one day.
According to him, there are cases of persons who have been on the waiting list for a trial for 10 to 15 years.
"Some of them spend time awaiting trial, way beyond the period they would have been given as punishment if tried timeously and sentenced."
"Situations like this cast huge doubt on the entire processes of our justice system and do not augur well for any of the parties in a case; as it is said, justice delayed is justice denied."
"A healthy criminal justice system is one in which the people have confidence. Loss of confidence in the justice system has grave security implications; examples include the common occurrence of jungle justice and the undermining of the rule of law," she said.
Ogu said that the high population of persons awaiting trial also undermined the actualization of the key targets of corrections—reformation, rehabilitation, and reintegration of inmates.
She said that PRAWA also acknowledged with commendation some of the executive and legislative steps taken by Nigeria to address these issues.
"Standing out is the enactment of the NCoS Act 2019 with several innovative provisions to address most of the identified challenges of the management of corrections in Nigeria."
"Acknowledged also are the jail delivery efforts of many state judiciaries in Nigeria and many other ad hoc attempts at reduction of the number of persons awaiting trial in custody through intervention programs."
"This also included initiatives of different non-governmental organizations providing pro bono and paralegal services to indigent awaiting trial persons in custody," she said.
Ogu said that as a matter of urgency and with the support of the Ministry of Interior, all administrative and legislative bottlenecks hampering the activation of the special non-custodial funds should be addressed.
She said that other channels of funding for the non-custodial service were activated to ensure resources were provided for the service to do its work.
She recommended the immediate development of criteria for the release of inmates or the diversion of inmates to non-custodial centers.
She also recommended that the judiciary be encouraged to increase its use of non-custodial measures.
This, she said, would be a system developed for the tracking of the use of non-custodial measures by the judiciary; generally, imprisonment should be used as a measure of last resort.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, said the Federal Government, through the Presidential Committee on Correctional Reforms and Decongestion, has freed over 10,000 inmates in the past four years.
Malami, who noted that the presidential committee was inaugurated on Oct. 30, 2017, said it was time for more attention to be focused on reformation of the juvenile justice system
