Nigerian Correctional Service, NCS, at a time widely known as Nigerian Prisons Service before the reforms in the sector is a vestige of then colonial administration.
It all began in 1861, the year when conceptually, Western-type prison was established in Nigeria and that was in Lagos when declaration of Lagos as a colony marked the beginning of formal machinery of governance.
However, the progressive incursion of the British into the hinterland and the establishment of British protectorate towards the end of the 19th century necessitated the establishment of the prisons as the last link in the Criminal Justice System. Even so, the colonial prison at this stage was not designed to reformation. They existed only to serve the immediate need of the colonial administration. Hence colonial prisons had no trained and developed staff of their own and instead the police also performed prison duties. They were also very poorly run and the local prison conditions varied from one place to another in their disorganization, callousness and exploitation. But so long as they served the colonial interests of ensuring law and order, collecting taxes, and providing labour for public works, they were generally left alone.
The prison system has gone through various stages of reforms but to what extent these reforms have served effectively the existential purpose as enunciated by the various conventions dealing with the treatment of prisoners among other monumental challenges confronting the prison system in Nigeria remains another issue.
As it is, congestion in most correctional facilities is a major challenge for a system already burdened by several other issues. This congestion is indeed occasioned by the rise in population and as a corollary increasing complexities in type of crimes and their frequency.
Part of the congestion challenge is worsened by the huge army of inmates on Awaiting Trial Status.
There were tendencies by various governments at enhancing the prison environment for both inmates and staff but despite these efforts, they all appear to be a scratch on the surface.
Quite recently, the reforms included the change of uniforms and accoutrements for staff, creating an arms unit to enhance internal security in and around the facilities, renovating some facilities among others.
These seemed to be more superficial than substantial as several rots still pervade the system.
There is the need to modernize several facilities in the country as they still maintain the appalling colonial era legacies where congestion is still prevalent.
For instance, the Koton Karfe Correctional Centre, in Kogi State as a bad case study in jailbreaks. Its notoriety for jailbreaks and upheavals is legendary. These episodes are often recorded with the escape of notorious criminals.
Stakeholders and indeed, various global agencies in have been upbeat in sensitising on the essence to enhance the welfare of both inmates and staff so as to raise the bar in terms of service delivery.
Sometimes inmates’ deplorable conditions are often revisited by NGOs and others stressing that they are below the prescribed minimum standard of persons incarcerated by the UN and other agencies who have over the years decried the embarrassing conditions.
It is of essence that a holistic approach to the form and character of the CS is undertaken so that the reformative aspect the service is expected to discharge is not observed in default.
There are worries that corruption in correctional facilities is still prevalent despite the measures over the years to stem the tide in that direction even as inhumane treatment of inmates is being reported.
The emphasis should shift in the system from punitive to rehabilitation tendencies.
We emphasise the imperative of staff training and re-training to enhance professionalism.
It is expected that inmates are discharged better than they were first incarcerated.
While the name change from Nigerian Prison Service, NPS, to Nigerian Correctional Service, NCS, and uniform change appears a fresh lease that suggests a first step towards overhauling the system, it must be followed by a holistic overhaul rather than a white-wash approach.
It is remarkable that the current Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Ojo has promised to pursue policies that would transform the system.
