Friday, October 11, 2013

PRISON: room for empowerment

I took time out to reflect on the causes of societal menace such as armed-robbery, kidnapping, rape etc and the way forward, in the midst of the numerous challenges facing our dear country. I have refused to subscribe to the notion that corruption or poverty is the major source of our societal ills. The lack of orientation is evident.

Few weeks ago, the news of a pardoned prison inmate re-arrested for armed robbery caught my attention. The suspect, a 22-year-old, Musa Ojo, was among the inmates pardoned by the Lagos State Government in pursuant to the Provisions of section 1(i) of the Criminal Justice Release from custody Special Provision Act, CAP C40, 2007, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria.

It was learnt that a few weeks after his release, Musa in collaboration with two others snatched a Toyota Corolla Car in Lagos, which led to his re-arrest.

Sincerely, it is a brilliant idea to pardon inmates, but it will be superb of the government to engage the inmates in rehabilitation and meaningful training during their incarceration before being released into the society. For example, Musa was pardoned without a defined opportunity for financial stability, which led him back to his dishonest means of livelihood. In our society, few family and friends will associate with an ex-convict, not mentioning giving him a job opportunity.
*Musa Ojo


Musa, who goes by the pseudonym Agba Musa during his grilling, said that “after leaving prison, I started receiving calls from people that they needed vehicles and I was short of money, so I thought to myself that if I could steal just one car, I would be alright. I did not know that the police had been on my trail from the day I was released (pardoned)”. Obviously, Musa went back to his old ways because he had nothing else to do.

The government should give special consideration to inmates pending their release/pardon. The consideration which I believe must start with effective counseling to skill acquisition training.  Most prisoners do condemn themselves. The government needs to engage the services of a vibrant counselor who can motivate and encourage them to believe that they can still be useful to themselves and the society at large.

Likewise, the government, prior to release, should engage the inmates in skill acquisition training to become a Barber/Hairdresser, Fashion Designer, etc.  There are lots of youths who have delved into small scale business due to the fact that they could not secure jobs. The government could sign up the young ones in this field to train and certify the inmates before they are released in the society. Also the government should make it compulsory that certification in any of the training will serve as one of the major criteria for their release. The inmates will embrace it and the society will gain and pay for their expertise.

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