The Nigerian Interior Minister, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has declared a pressing need to overhaul the country's correctional system, shifting its primary purpose from punishment to rehabilitation.
Speaking at a weekend briefing in Abuja, the minister outlined a new vision where these facilities would actively reform inmates, providing them with essential skills and psychological support to successfully re-enter society as law-abiding citizens. He argued that a system focused solely on punishment is ineffective and that transforming lives should be the core objective.
This reform initiative includes plans to significantly expand vocational training, educational offerings, and mental health services within the nation's prisons. Minister Tunji-Ojo also identified severe overcrowding and poor infrastructure as major obstacles that must be addressed to improve inmate living conditions.
The official noted that his ministry is working with various stakeholders, including international bodies, to upgrade prison infrastructure and provide specialized training for corrections staff to support this new rehabilitative mission.
These comments arrive amidst increasing public demand for prison reform in Nigeria. A significant challenge is the high proportion of detainees awaiting trial, which recent data indicates constitutes more than 70% of the inmate population, exacerbating congestion and resource shortages.
Minister Tunji-Ojo called on state governments and the judicial branch to collaborate on accelerating the justice process to alleviate prison overcrowding. He also invited civil society groups to assist in providing support services for those incarcerated.
Pilot programs for this reformed system are scheduled to begin in select facilities before the year's end, with a comprehensive national rollout to follow. The goal is to foster a more humane correctional environment and lessen the societal stigma often encountered by former inmates.
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