Benue State University, Makurdi

Decongesting Prisons in Nigeria: Reduction Strategies for Improved Administration of Criminal Justice

Nengi Anita Banigo*

Abstract

Crime is a social disease which eats into the fabric of every organised and civilised society. According to Nelson Mandela, the way a society treats its prison population says a lot about that society. The purpose of imprisonment is to balance the goal of punishment and correction for the crime with deterrence and rehabilitation. Research shows that in recent decades there has been an unprecedented increase in imprisonment rates which has led to a serious overcrowding issue in prisons. The major reason for overcrowding seems to be the overuse or over reliance on imprisonment by the Criminal Justice System and the lack of prison capacity. Consequently, protection of human rights and the objective of reformation, correction and rehabilitation of prisoners could easily be lost in the prison system. Modern penal systems favour the use of alternatives to imprisonment such as community service, probation, parole and digital jail for non-violent offenders and awaiting trial inmates, in order to curb the overcrowding in prisons.

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