Examination of Prison Administration and Crime Prevention in Nigeria
Chapter One
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
Generally, this study examines prison administration and crime prevention in Nigeria.
The specific objectives of the study are to
- examine the objectives of establishing the Nigerian Prisons Service
- identify the relationship between effective prison administration and reduction in the occurrence of criminal activities in Nigeria
- investigate the challenges confronting the administration of Nigerian Prisons and its role in crime prevention in Nigeria; and
- Suggest recommendations for improving the effectiveness of prison administration in Nigeria.
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
INTRODUCTION
Our focus in this chapter is to critically examine relevant literatures that would assist in explaining the research problem and furthermore recognize the efforts of scholars who had previously contributed immensely to similar research. The chapter intends to deepen the understanding of the study and close the perceived gaps.
Precisely, the chapter will be considered in three sub-headings:
CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
PRISON
Prison as a concept has been a subject of debate among various scholars in the social sciences. The concept has been approached from various perspectives, which includes structural and functional dimensions. For instance, McCorkle and Korn (1954:88), described a prison as a physical structure in a geographical location where a number of people living under highly specialized condition adjust to the alternatives presented to them by the unique kind of social environment. Similarly, Sykes (1958); Goffman (1961) and Okunola (1986) conceived prison as where people are highly secluded from the rest of the world with entirely new order of control. The preceding conceptualizations are limited towards an understanding that a prison is a physical environment, and could be described geographically or spatially.
Differing from the physical perception, other schools of thought based their conception of prison on function, framework and label, Obioha (2011:96). From the functional perspective, a prison is perceived as a place to punish offenders, where criminals that are removed from the society are dumped to protect the society from further criminal activities of the offenders; and a place to rehabilitate, and teach offenders to be law abiding and productive, prison is conceived as a total institution. Okunola (1986) perceives a total institution as a place that houses those who are socially rejected, insane or mentally retarded. In the same line of thought, Goffman ((1961), conceptualized total institution as where there is a basic split between a large class of individuals who are restricted contact with outside world and stereotypical behavior pattern where social mobility is restricted. On the labeling point of view, prison is conceived as a place for vagrants, who may pose actual danger to social life in the larger society, which pre-supposes that every person in the prison is a vagrant and irresponsible person, Howard (1960). According to Obioha (2011:96), the views of Howard, concedes with the attitudes of “Mr. Political leaders” towards prisoners, who they regard as the “dregs” of the society. Perhaps, this was Obasanjo’s perception of prisoners as a military president in the 70s but that seem to have changed after suffering as a political prisoner under Abacha. This assumption is based on the fact that, when he became a civilian president in 1999, his administration in 2000 initiated a lot of prison reform programmes.
The recent conception of prison sees it as “Home for all”. This conception is credited to Yongo (2000). His argument is premised on the fact that it is not only the guilty that are found in prisons, only some prisoners actually committed offences they are alleged to have committed.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Area of Study
Nigerian Prison Service, Agodi Gate Ibadan forms the area of the study.
Research Design
Research designs are perceived to be an overall strategy adopted by the researcher whereby different components of the study are integrated in a logical manner to effectively address a research problem. In this study, the researcher employed the descriptive survey research design. This is due to the nature of the study whereby the opinion and views of people are sampled.
Population of the study
According to Udoyen (2019), a study population is a group of elements or individuals as the case may be, who share similar characteristics. These similar features can include location, gender, age, sex or specific interest. The emphasis on study population is that it constitutes of individuals or elements that are homogeneous in description.
This research was carried out on examination prison administration and crime prevention in Nigeria using Nigerian Prison Service, Agodi Gate Ibadan as case study. One hundred (100) officials of Nigerian Prison Service, Agodi gate Ibadan form the population of the study.
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS
DATA PRESENTATION
Table 4.1: Demographic data of respondents
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS:
Introduction
This chapter summarizes the findings into the “examination prison administration and crime prevention in Nigeria using Nigerian Prison Service, Agodi Gate Ibadan as case study”. The chapter consists of summary of the study, conclusions, and recommendations.
Summary of the Study
In this study, our focus was to examine prison administration and crime prevention in Nigeria. The study specifically was aimed at examining the objectives of establishing the Nigerian Prisons Service; the relationship between effective prison administration and reduction in the occurrence of criminal activities in Nigeria; and investigate the challenges confronting the administration of Nigerian Prisons and its role in crime prevention in Nigeria.
The study adopted the survey research design and randomly enrolled participants in the study. A total of 50 responses were validated from the enrolled participants where all respondent are active officials Nigerian Prison Service, Agodi Gate Ibadan.
Conclusions
Based on the finding of this study, it have been concluded that:
- Effective prison administration is one of the viable instruments of crime control and prevention in Nigeria
- There is meaningful relationship between effective prison administration and reduction in the rate of criminal act in Nigerian societies
- Inadequate facilities and poor training are factors seriously affecting effective prison administration and rehabilitation of prisoners in Nigeria.
RECOMMENDATIONS
- The state government should also help in the provision of sophisticated arms, patrol vans/ power bikes, rain coat, and all other crime fighting arms to both the Police and other security agencies to help them contribute effectively for a better crime free society.
- The law enforcement agents, particularly the police should be better equipped to nip crime at the bud. Reduction in crime rate will bring about correspondent reduction of prison inmates. The burden of implicit and explicit cost of imprisonment and prison management is so much on the government. Therefore, crime prevention is preferred to imprisonment.
- Most prisons in Nigeria including Nigerian Prison Service, Agodi Gate Ibadanis located within the town. It makes them easily vulnerable to external attack or jail brake by hoodlums. Therefore, there is the need to relocate Nigerian Prison Service, Agodi Gate Ibadan and others that are too close to living environment. Locating the prisons far from living environment is of itself a security measure.
- Finally, caution should be taken against corruption which has remained the bane of development in Nigeria and especially for the fact that the subject of concern has to do with human lives and the consequential cost to Nigerian economy.
REFERENCES
- Agomoh, U.R. (1996): Decongesting the Nigerian prisons and the Police Cells. A handbook of practical strategies for Remand population. Lagos: PRAWA.
- Awolowo, O. (1985): Adventure in Power: My March Through Prison. Ibadan: Macmillan Publishers.
- Goffman, E. (1961): Asylums. New York: Garden city Anchor Books.
- Howard, D.L (1960): The English Prisons: Their past and their future. London: Butler and Tarmer Ltd.
- Meek, C.K. (1969): The Northern Tribes of Nigeria: An Ethnographical Account of the Northern Provinces of Nigeria together with a Report on the 1921 Decemial Census: London: Oxford University Press.
- Merton, R.K. (1949): Social Theory and social structure: New York. Free press.
- Nkpa, N. (1997): Educational Research for modern scholars. Enugu: fourth pimension publishing company Ltd.
- Radcliff-Brown, R. (1952): Structure and function in primitive society. New York. The free press.
- Soyinka, W. (1972): The Man Died: Prison Notes: London: penguin Books.
- Sykes, G. (1958): The society of Captives. Princeton: Princeton University Press.