EXAMINATION PRISON ADMINISTRATION AND CRIME PREVENTION IN NIGERIA

EXAMINATION PRISON ADMINISTRATION AND CRIME PREVENTION IN NIGERIA.

CHAPTER ONE

1.1.    Introduction

Crime is any act or behaviour which violates the norms (normative behaving) of a society. This would mean that a criminal should be seen as any person who breaks any of the rules or norm of behaviour by which society is governed and has the possibility of affecting the wellbeing of other members of the society.(Roth 2006) Therefore, the importance of crime prevention and control, maintenance of law and order to the development and growth of a society,both in the physical and economic sense, cannot be over emphasized.

Roth (2006) is of the opinion that ‘it is only amind that is secured and at peace that can rationally address the issues of procreation,economic development and societal growth. A disturbed mind is a restless anddistraught personality. It is therefore imperative to have peace and order in thesociety to assure its growth and development.The role of law enforcement in the maintenance of peace and order as well as crime prevention in the society is aforegone conclusion.

Every man by nature is selfish and self-centered, in most case;he needs the presence of the state institution of law enforcement to be able to actright. By its establishment philosophy, the Nigerian Prisons Service is an institution meant to administer penal treatment to adult offenders. It isan important and   indispensable institution in the bid to reduce crime in the society. On the basis of imprisonment policy, the Nigerian Prisons Service was established to manage criminals in prison yards. These constitutional functions empower the prison operatives to:

1. Keep convicted offenders (prisoners) in safe custody
2. Keep awaiting trial inmates in custody, until law courts demand their production
3. Punish offenders as prescribed by the law courts
4. Reform the convicted prisoners
5. Rehabilitate and re-integrate prisoners who have completed the sentences in the prison. (Hannah, 2012)

Inferring from the above, the main aim of establishing the prison institution in all parts of the world including Nigeria is to provide a rehabilitation and correctional facility for those who have violated the rules and regulations of their society. However, the extent to which this maxim is true in practice has been a subject of controversy. Instances abound where the prisons have become a training ground for criminals instead of rehabilitation home in Nigeria (Obioha 2011).

Prison Administration is a complex dynamics of various divisions or units that provide a range of services in the management of prisons. Such services may include policy formulation and implementation, finance and budgeting, personnel management and operations and such others. (Aina, 2010). Prison Administration is further executed by other institutions of government who are co-players in ensuring a holistic management of the prison system. Such institutions include the police which are saddled with the responsibility of arresting, investigating, interrogating and prosecuting an offender

However, the worry about the manifestation that Nigerian Prisons Service has not lived up to expectation in terms of impacting positively on the lives and vocations of inmates has raised several questions that have not yet been completely addressed on the system’s functions and existence.

Invariably, all of these issues cannot be isolated from the dynamics involved in prison administration in Nigeria which is characterized by the system failure identified with the key players such as the police and the judiciary, which are saddled with collaborative roles in achieving effective prison administration.

With these key players generally being indicted of corruption and the Nigeria police specifically being alleged of ineptitude especially as regards investigations of cases, the judiciary also being accused of perennial delay in criminal trials as well as the Nigeria Prisons Service itself being undermined by shortcomings such as undue political interference, inadequate facilities, irregular and inadequate training for staff and inmates, in fact, the effectiveness of the Nigerian prison system might have been eroded (Emeka, 2011).

The drive to re-position the Nigerian Prisons Service for an improved service delivery in concert with other key players involved in prison administration in Nigeria has therefore necessitated this study.It is against this background that this study is considered pertinent in order to inquire into prison administration and crime prevention in Nigeria with a particular reference to Nigerian Prison Service, Agodi Gate Ibadan.

EXAMINATION PRISON ADMINISTRATION AND CRIME PREVENTION IN NIGERIA.