PLAN DE MANEJO AMBIENTAL

drugs for HIV positive inmates are available. Health facilities at the prisons cannot take care of inmates with sight (eyes) problems, tooth aches, kidney problems, liver problems, mentally deranged fellows, pregnant female inmates, and serious cases that require surgery etc. Hence occasionally, deaths occur among the inmates, due to lack of adequate health facilities.

Poverty and inability to hire lawyers

This is a major factor frustrating many inmates and has deprived many of them from securing their freedom. As a result, many of them waste up to 10 years in prison (awaiting trials) without going to court.

There must be a conspiracy between State Counsel and complainants, to ensure that cases are given long adjournments. This factor is self-explanatory, and it is the truth. At least, it is happening in Imo State.

There is equally a conspiracy between judges and complainants to ensure that cases are given long adjournments. This is a notorious fact. In Imo State, it is happening. Such judges are called political and business judges. They are shameless. In extreme cases, the dishonorable judges adjourn cases sine-die to justify the money they collected from complainants (mostly government house officials), thereby keeping innocent people (inmates) permanently in prison. If I am challenged, I will give details.

Missing case files

This is equally a notorious fact. Many innocent inmates at the Federal correctional institutions do not know the whereabouts of their case files. Police officers of the Imo State Police Command who are (were) the Investigating Police Officers are reportedly guilty of this debilitating wickedness. I want to be proved wrong.

Mental illness among inmates

It is a notorious fact that there are inmates who are not organised, disciplined and God-fearing, who engage in Indian hemp smoking.

Children born by female inmates undergo psychological torture

This is an acknowledged fact. Most of these female inmates were impregnated by their Investigating Police Officers who promised to assist them out of the case when they were detained at their respective police stations. Unfortunately, they merely used them to satisfy their sexual desires. Some female inmates are married and might have been pregnant before being remanded at the prisons. Yet, others might have been impregnated inside prison premises ―under special arrangement‖ to satisfy sexual desires of female inmates. Also, some female inmates might have had their babies shortly before being arrested by the police, taken to court and thereafter remanded in prisons for alleged crimes earlier committed. The resultant effect is that children born by the female inmates suffer from lack of love, home-training, psychological torture, and unaware of the existence of life outside the walls of prisons. Ninety per cent of children born inside prisons grow up to fight the society.

Sexual abuses among inmates

This is a notorious fact. Homosexuality and lesbianism among inmates are rampant. Having stayed in prison for so long and without the opportunity to have sex with the opposite sex, some inmates resort to the evil practice of homosexuality and lesbianism. However, prisons authorities at the Federal correctional institutions have placed adequate measures to check this abnormal method of sexual satisfaction. Any inmate or inmates caught in this satanic act is (are) given punishment. For example, when two people are caught in homosexual act, they are usually flogged, stripped naked and charcoal dust poured on them. After that, they would be made to undergo black wedding and driven in a wheel-barrow around the prison yard.

After that, they would be made to under-go another round of punishment.

Drug abuse

This is a notorious fact, and it is self-explanatory as abuse of drugs is an endemic in all correctional institutions in Nigeria

Possible solution tp these challenges are as follows:

1. There should be special amnesty by Mr President for inmates (both convicts and awaiting trials) who have spent 15 years and above. The only criteria for this special amnesty should be good behaviour, positively changed character and fear of God, attested to by prison authorities. This special amnesty by Mr President should take place twice every year, precisely on (a) Independence anniversary day, October 1, and (b) Democracy Day, May 29.

2. Patriotic citizens of Nigeria and organizations filled with milk of human kindness, sympathy and true love, should play their roles by visiting our prison inmates scattered across the various prison yards in the country with items such as packaged foods, tissue papers, detergents, bar soaps, toilet soaps, sanitary pads, tooth brushes, underwear, slippers, body cream, tooth pastes, etc. For God‘s sake, we should realize that prison inmates are one of us.

3. The National Human Rights Commission, non-governmental organizations, ‗self-governmental‘ organizations, social crusaders and activists should come together and force state governments with empty high courts, magistrate courts, etc., to fill them with responsible judges. Imo State should be a test case, because 80 per cent of the high courts have no judges, yet thousands of cases were criminally assigned to them just to punish innocent people.

4. Decongestion of prisons through the setting up of special committees across the states to review cases of inmates who are awaiting trials, but who have not gone to court for trials after being remanded for two years in prison should be supported. The committees should have the following personalities as members: i. State Chief Judges ii. Attorneys General and Commissioners for Justice iii. State High Court Registrars iv. Administrative Judges v. A responsible elder statesman vi. A respected Catholic or Anglican or Pentecostal bishop. It must not be politicized by politicians in power.

vii. Adjournment of various cases should not go beyond one week. Through this method, inmates who are innocent of the crimes for which they were remanded in prison would be released, discharged and acquitted, while those who committed crimes are sentenced with various jail terms as quickly as possible.

viii. Special concession should be given to women who gave birth to babies in prisons. They should be granted bail so that they attend their court cases from their various homes.

ix. There should be improved health facilities at the prisons.

x. Good Samaritan lawyers should volunteer to assist awaiting trial inmates who are unable to fund their cases in courts.

3.5.1 Basic administrative Way forward includes 1. Proper record keeping strategies.

2. Adapting Technology approach to process of operations.

3. Capacity building

4. Improved prison structure

5. Proper and monitored fund allocation.

4.0 Conclusion

Correctional institution and its function are important for protection, reformation and rehabilitation of offenders however there have been challenges over time which hinders the process and attention paid to updating the process.

5.0 Summary

The need for strong correctional institution cannot be overemphasised as the challenges encountered which includes lack of funds, records and capacity which make it important to improve processes and operation of the system.

6.0Tutor-Marked Assignments

What are the basic functions of the correctional institutions?

Discuss the challenges of correctional institution and way forward.

Students should also be asked to differentiate between juvenile incarceration centres and prisons/correctional centres

7.0 Reference/further readings

Jeffrey Ian Ross 2008 Analyzing Contemporary Introductory Textbooks on Correctional Administration/ Management/Organization: A Content Analysis.

Adetula GA, Adetula A, Fatusin AF 2010. The prison subsystem culture: Its attitudinal effects on operatives, convicts and the free society. Ife Psychologia. 18(1): 232-251

Obioha EE 2002. Punishment in Society. In: UC Isiugo- Abanihe, AN Isamah , O Adesina

‗Jimi (Eds.): Currents and Perspectives in Sociology. Lagos: Malthouse Press Limited, pp.

367-379.

Okunola R 1986. Institutional Treatment and Social Stigma: A Comparative Study of Amanawa Leprosarium and Sokoto Prisons. Sokoto: F. S. S. A Research Publication,

University of Sokoto