Stakeholders in Katsina State have decried overcrowding at the nation’s prisons.
They made this known at a two-day Performance Appraisal Workshop on the Legal Framework on Parole and the Administration of Criminal Justice Law in Nigeria on Wednesday in Katsina State.
They said with the implementation of the parole system, inmates can be released from custodial correctional centres before the expiration of their terms of imprisonment under certain conditions.
According to the stakeholders, implementation of the parole system would go a long way in not only addressing prison decongestion but also reducing incessant jailbreaks.
The workshop coordinated by the CLEEN Foundation, a non-government organisation, with support from the MacArthur Foundation, brought together stakeholders from the government, civil society and media to examine the subject matter.
Although the early release of inmates before the expiration of their terms of imprisonment is not a new phenomenon in Nigeria, the workshop was considered against the background that the parole system was not recognised in the Nigerian criminal justice system until recently.
However, while good behaviour and sometimes poor medical conditions are often cited as reasons for granting pardons to inmates, the action is often based on political considerations.
In an interview with the Program Director for the CLEEN Foundation, Salaudeen Hashim, decried the high level of congestion of prison facilities in the country which he said, is part of the ongoing reform that the administration of the criminal justice regime has recommended.
“Most states are currently not intimating the parole regime which has created a lot of setbacks we are seeing in the society.
“If you go to the prison, you will find out that there are people who are just requiring about 15k just to get bail but have been there for over ten years.
“There are people who just for minor offences but because of the non-implementation of the parole system, it is keeping them in the facility thereby overcrowding the prison and this is one of the reasons we are having prison breaks which is on the increase.
“Within the last five years, we have over 5,000 inmates who are out there as a result of various prison breaks and are yet to be recaptured.
“I have seen 17 different attacks in five years. There is a need for us to pay attention to our laws.
“There are existing gaps in the laws for instance, the ACJ recommends to the courts upon the advisory of the Comptroller of prisons that they can also exercise parole but the fact is, the law is referring to a non-existing entity because the Correctional Service does not use a controller but uses Comptroller, the letter (p) has not been removed which allows the law to be very difficult to implement.
“We have so far covered eight states in this sensitization, we are hoping that doing this, will create the needed awareness and allow inmates to benefit from this system that is already on the table.
“The Nigerian prison system is obsolete and not the way the prison system is being operated globally.
“It supposed to be for correction but what we are seeing is that we are operating an analogue system of reform system which we are trying to change “, Hashim noted.
In their separate remarks, representatives of the state house of assembly, ministry of Justice as well as Katsina Command of the Nigeria Correctional Centre described the workshop as long overdue, calling on the relevant stakeholders to put hands on deck to ensure effective implementation of the parole system and other non-custodian measures.
A’isha Abba Kankia, representative of the Chairman, House Committee on Justice and Judiciary at the Katsina State House of Assembly, said, “The parole system is a welcome idea here in Katsina State, I hope our House of Assembly members will support the parole system.
“It will decongest prisons and will reduce the financial burden on the state government and we have been doing our very best in this regard because it’s our responsibility”.
For the assistant director, of Citizens Rights in the State Ministry of Justice, Fatima Sada, who was the representative of the State Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General, “We will probably go through the laws governing the parole system in Nigeria and see where it will affect the convicts and how it can be applied here in Katsina State to improve the society and see how to reintegrate the convict back to the society.
“In terms of administration of justice, though, all laws have advantages and disadvantages, we presently don’t have the parole system in Katsina State”.
The Parole Desk Officer, Medium Custodial Center, Katsina State, Nigeria Correctional Service, ASC Nazifi Danmusa, the parole system is paramount and a welcome development.
“We look forward to the effective implementation of the parole system which is non Custodial measure stated in our Act section 37 of the Nigeria Correctional Act. Sub-Section 1 stated that parole can be done for an offender who portrays a good character in the course of his jail term.
“We have a lot of offenders that portray good characters in the course of serving their terms.
“I am calling on the relevant stakeholders to put hands on deck towards effective implementation of the parole system and other non-custodian measures to enhance effective reintegration of offenders back into the society as law-abiding citizens,” he stated.
