THE ROLE OF NIGERIAN PRISONS IN THE ADMINISTRATION OF
      CRIMINAL JUSTICE IN NIGERIA: A CASE STUDY OF KUJE PRISON ABUJA FORCE.

BY

ISAAC HELEN OKOH

REG.NO.15394008

A PROJECT SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF ABUJA, IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF POST GRADUATE DIPLOMA (PGD) INTERCULTURAL CONFLICTS AND COMMUNICATION.

OCTOBER 2016

DECLARATION

I hereby declare that this research work is a result of my research effort carried out in the School of Social Sciences, University of Abuja, under the supervision of Dr. Dagaci Aliyu Manbe and to the best of my knowledge and belief, it contains no material previously published or written by another person nor material which to a substantial extent has been accepted for award of any other degree or diploma of any University or other institution of higher learning, except where due acknowledgement has been made in the text.

........................................

HELEN OKOH ISAAC

REG. NO.15394008

CERTIFICATION

The project has been read and approved as meeting the requirement of the Department of Sociology, Faculty of Social Sciences, and Postgraduate Diploma University of Abuja.

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Sign.  (Project  Supervisor)                                                                               Date

Dr. Dagaci, A.M            

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Sign. (Head of Department)                                                                             Date

Prof. Suleiman                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

                                                                                                           

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Sign. Dean of Faculty                                                                                          Date

Prof. Rhoda Mundi

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Sign. Dean postgraduate                                                                                 Date

Prof. Kolawole Adegboyega                                                                                                    

                                                            ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I return all glory, honour and adoration to God Almighty for his Mercy and protection throughout the course of this study.

My sincere gratitude goes to my Project Supervisor, a friend and also my Facilitator, Dr. Dagaci A.M. who spend his valuable time in making corrections in this project. He continuously and convincingly conveyed a spirit of adventure with regard to his suggestions to the research, and excitement in teaching. Without his guidance and persistent help, this project work would not have been possible.

My appreciation extends to my Guardian, Mr. Abimbola Mohammad, Mr. Ifu Zachariah, Chief Michael Awunor, and Mr. Charles Ibim for their support, motivation and encouragement.

Not forgetting are my able lecturers of the department of Sociology University of Abuja as well as course mates, i also appreciate well-wishers who have in one way or the other contributed to my success.

May God bless you all

ABSTRACT

This research was conceived to look at the role of Nigerian prisons Kuje Prison in Nigeria in Criminal Justice Administration (CJA) In Nigeria. The Problem of the study revolves around finding out if the Kuje prisons are fulfilling their statutory functions which include punishing, reforming and rehabilitating prisoners. Among others. Survey and descriptive research methods are deployed in carrying out the research in which questionnaire, interview and observation methods are making use of in gathering data. A total of 90 questionnaires are used and the area of study is the Nigerian police and other security agencies, the courts and prison. The findings gotten include the fact that the awareness of the functions of NPS is not high; corruption has seriously affected the C.J.A in Nigeria; different subsystems of C.J.A are losing their independence; justice is not guaranteed in Nigeria; confining prisoners in the prisons has not deterred others from going into criminality; Kuje  prisons do not have the capacity and capability to reform and rehabilitate the prisoner; there is a need to revert back to traditional “Nigeria” methods of treating juveniles and settling non-serious criminal cases through community leaders instead of reporting such cases to the police, etc. Some of the recommendations proffered include Adequate funding of the three sub-systems of C.J.A; overhauling of the C.J.A, especially the Kuje prisons; giving free hand to the personnel of CJA; building more modern prisons; granting of amnesty to some categories of prisoners; granting of free education to those willing to go to School; good leadership: keeping awaiting trial suspects outside the persons; provision of amenities in our prisonrtc.

                                   

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Title page     -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           i
Declaration             -           -           -           -           -           -           -           ii         
Certification           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           iii
Acknowledgements     -          -          -          -          -          -          iv       
Abstract       -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           v         
Table of Contents           -           -           -           -           -           -           vi
-‘ List of tables          -          -          -          -          -          -          -          vii

                                                                         

                                      CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION                        PAGES

                                               

1.1      Introduction          -           -           -           -           -           -           1                    
1 .2     Statement of the Problem         -           -           -           -           4
1.3      Research Questions         -           -           -           -           -           6
1.4       Purpose of the Study     -           -           -           -           -           7
1.5      Significance of the Study          -           -           -           -           8
1.6         Scope of the Study -           -           -           -           -           -           9
1.7        Limitations of the Study   -           -           -           -           -           10
1.8       Research Methods  -           -           -           -           -           -           10
1.9       Operational definition of Terms  -           -           -           -           11

CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW AND THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

2.1      Definition/Concept of Prisons           -           -           -           13
2.1.1  Concept of Criminal Justice Administration         -           15
2.2      History of Prison in Nigeria    -           -           -           -           16
2.3      Aims, Objectives and Function of Nigerian Prison         18
2.3.1 Functions of Nigeria Prison Service  -           -           -           19
2.4      Services Provided by Nigerian Prisons       -           -           22      
2.5      Problems of Nigerian Criminal Administration  -           25
2.6      Problems of Nigerian Courts and Prisons -           -           26
2.7      Summary of Reviewed Literature     -           -           -           29

CHAPTER THREE

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.1      Introduction          -           -           -           -           -           -           30
3.2      Research Design   -           -           -           -           -           -           30
3.3      Area of Study        -           -           -           -           -           -           31
3.4      Population and Sample of Study        -           -           -           31
3.5      Sample Selection and Techniques     -           -           -           32
3.6      Instrument of Data Collection -           -           -           -           32
3.6.1  Validity of the instrument       -           -           -           -           32
3.6.2 Reliability of the Instrument   -           -           -           -           33
3.7      Methods of Data Collection      -           -           -           -           33
3.8      Method of Data Analysis           -           -           -           -           33

CHAPTER FOUR

            DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS

4.1      Introduction          -           -           -           -           -           -           34
4.18   Summary of Findings    -           -           -           -           -           44

CHAPTER FIVE

          SUMMARY CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

5.1      Conclusion  -           -           -           -           -           -           -           46
5.2      Recommendations         -           -           -           -           -           46
             Appendix 1            -           -           -           -           -           -           49
             References -           -           -           -           -           -           -           53

LIST OF TABLE

Gender Distribution of Respondents
Age Distribution of Respondents
Respondents Qualifications
Respondents Knowledge of functions of the NPS
Effects of corruption on C.J.A in Nigeria
Losing of independence by the Nigerian C.J.A
Guaranteeing of Justice at all times in Nigeria
Efficacy of deterring criminals through confinement in Prisons
Capability of Kuje Prisons in Reforming Prisoners
Capability of Kuje Prisons in Rehabilitating  Prisoners
Reverting to Traditional “Nigerian” treatment of juveniles
Preference for reverting to Traditional “Nigerian” system of treating those
who commit “theft due to hunger”
Respondents’ Responses on the current harsh Nigerian socio-economic’
that tends to force some Nigerians into criminal acts
Respondents’ view on about 70% of Nigerians awaiting trial

                                                                                ix

CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION

1.1      Background to the Study

The idea of prison just like other concepts in Criminal Justice Administration (CJA) has been subjected to variety of interpretations by not only different authors but by different perspectives in social science disciplines. A prison can be described as a place where offenders are kept as punishment for crimes committed, or as Opara (1998) puts it, a place where persons are kept while awaiting trial. Also McCorkle and Korn (1958) describe prison as a physical structure in a geographical location where a number of people living under highly specialized condition adjust to the alternatives presented them by the unique kind of social environment.

According to Wikipedia Encyclopedia accessed on 29110/13, early prisons were used primarily to sequester animals in Europe and America; little thought was given to living conditions within their walls. In America, the Quaker Movement is commonly credited with establishing the idea that prisons should be used to reform criminals.

Before the advent of colonialism in areas today called Nigeria, various pre-colonial communities had different notions of prison, because they had their own legitimate methods of dealing with deviant members of their societies. Among the Yorubas, Ogboni was used as prison; the Edos or Binis used what they called Ewedas, and in the northern parts of the country, the Fulanis had similar institutions. Among the lgbos, there were indications of functional equivalents of prisons.

According to Nkwocha, D.I., Omogibo, K. Yesuf, A.R., and Adegoke D.T., (2009) when the British Government assumed responsibility for administration of Lagos in 1861, an organized prison system started to emerge to handle the earliest administration of justice. In 1872, Broad Street Prison was opened to accommodate 300 prisoners, but it was not until 1876 that the prison ordinance came into force, and was modelled along that of the British. By 1901 as posited by Nkwocha et al (2009:2) “prisons had been established in old Calabar, Asaba, Benin City, Sapele and Degema, under the control of the Police Department”. Prisons don’t exist on their own, there are other institutions whose by-products the prisons take care of namely, the Police and Courts, and this leads us to the concept of Criminal Justice Administration (CJA).

According to Iwarenue-Jaja (2003), Criminal Justice Administration (CJA) can be defined as a process when the different components co-ordinate their independent functions by processing the criminal suspect from one stage to another. The process involves arrests, booking, trial and confinement. As a system, CJA is made up of three sub-systems or components, namely, the police, the courts and corrections, responsible for law enforcement. Criminal justice involves the procedure of processing the person accused of committing a crime from arrest to the final disposal of the case. As Clare and Kramer (1977) put it, criminal justice can be seen as a consequence of decision making process in which offenders are either passed on to the next stage or diverted out of the System due to reasons like lack of evidence, or desire to reduce the load of the system.

Each subsequent stage of the process is dependent upon the previous stage for its determents: and this dependency exemplifies the system nature. The last chain within this system is the prison.

The prison represents the third leg in the triangular relationship of C.JA. The role of prison in this triangular relationship can’t be overemphasized. This is because the final end products of the police and courts are received and taken care of by the prison. As Onimajesin (2013) puts it, the prison is responsible for the custody of the final products in the criminal justice process. Maintaining custody involves carrying out measures to prevent escape, such as erecting high walls or chain-link fence, placing armed guards, constant checks cells, providing a system of passes for movements within the prison, constant surveillance, and such other stringent measures which may be applied from time to time to prevent escapes, riots. etc. Physical controls however are not enough to maintain sanity and prevent escapes, especially among frustrated, hardened criminals who may present all kinds of behaviourial challenges. As a “total institution as described by Goffman (1961), prison habours all kinds of vices, such as drug abuse, homosexuality, theft, brutality among inmates, are likely to exist within the prison wall. As a “total institution”, to be locked up in a physical, psychological and social sense — a situation in which there is no escape and the prisoner has no control-is to deny the individual, the rudimentary choices of everyday life (Silverman, 1950). The multi-faceted nature of prison and ever changing criminal’ activities of people make the prison a subject of constant enquiry. It is in this perspective that this researcher decided to look into the role of prisons in the C.J.A in Nigeria, with narrow focus on the Kuje Prison in Abuja.

1.2      Statement of the Problem

It has been observed that the administration of criminal justice in Nigeria is one subject that has featured in discussions at different forums in recent years. The caption, “The CJN’s alarm on the Criminal Justice Administration” accessed from the internet on 29/10/13 says a lot.

According to this source, prominent jurists and other notable figures have, at different times, criticized the existing Criminal Justice Administration and called for necessary changes to it. Some blamed the pervasive corruption and other forms of abuse in the various facets of Nigeria national life for the defects in the legal system. Among those who are yearning for a change in this critical sector is the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mariam Mukhtar who bared her mind on the issue at a special session organized by the Supreme Court to mark the commencement of the 2013/2014 legal year and inauguration of new Senior Advocates of Nigeria in Abuja on September 23, 2013. She faulted the performance of the security agents, describing their approach as “putting the horse before the cart” because according to her, they take suspects to court before gathering the evidence required to prosecute them as opposed to what is obtainable in other democracies where discrete surveillance is placed on crime suspects who are painstakingly stalked by security agents until such a time when, evidence would have been gathered for their arrest, arraignment and persecution.

As this writer has noted earlier, the prison is at the receiving end in the triangular relationship in the Criminal Justice Administration. It follows that, as we say in our local parlance, “when something happens to the nose, it will also happen to the eyes”, because they are closely related. The same relationship can be said about the prison, which is closely related to other components of the Criminal Justice Administration. As the police and courts are having a lot of challenges as noted by the Chief Justice of the federation and others, the prisons are equally, in one way or the other having some challenges in an effort to accommodate or tackle the corresponding challenges occasioned by the problems identified in the other two sub-systems — the police and courts. The problems or challenges of the contemporary Nigerian prisons are so many. In the area of socio-economic conditions, Onimajesin (2013) observes that prison conditions in Nigeria are not impressive. Persons convicted for crime and persons for awaiting trial are mixed up in prisons contrary to section 16 of the Prisons Regulations and sections 11.3 and 15 of the Children and Young Persons Act. In the Nigerian prisons, electricity and water supply to inmates is poor, as a result, reading in poor light conditions causes blindness, and bathing daily is impossible. Many of the inmates wear tattered clothes and are disease afflicted due to poor sanitary conditions and lack of adequate medical care where prison clinics lack both personnel and equipment. The challenges or problems of Prisons in Nigeria also bother on criminal policy which though programmed to use punishment as retributions and humiliation as a deterrent to particular or specific accused persons but makes little efforts in implementation of policy to rehabilitating criminals with their families (Onimajesin,2013). On criminal policy and juvenile delinquency, very little attention is paid to correctional policies concerning juvenile offenders, contrary, even to the practice in our indigenous system where civil responsibility or criminal liability was clearly limited to adults of the age of discretion. On criminal policy and sentencing, it has also been observed that the sanctions for guilt prescribed in the criminal and penal codes suggest clearly a tendency towards deterrent and restitutive rather than reformative theories of punishment (Onimajesin, 2013). The totality of the above conditions and challenges of our prisons have given rise to a situation where it has become a public knowledge that for so many years now, Nigerian

1.3      Research Questions

1.     What are the functions of the prisons in criminal justice in Kuje Prison?

2.     Is the Nigerian criminal justice losing its authority and independence?

3.     Has the Nigerian Prison Service lived up to its statutory responsibility of reforming and rehabilitating offenders?

4.     Will Nigerians prefer reverting back to traditional “Nigerian” practice in handing juvenile offenders Are Nigerians in support of the current situation where about 70% inmates of the Nigerian prisons, mostly young people are on awaiting     trial?

1.4      The Objectives of Study

The recent alarm raised by the Chief Justice of the Federation, about the bad state of the Nigerian Criminal Justice Administration has generated much interest among Nigerians, especially those with vital interest in the C.J.A.  Although the learned Chief Judge of the federation did not specifically mention the third leg of the C.J.A, the prison, there is no doubt that just like the other first two legs of CJA, the Police and Courts, the Nigerian Prison is equally having its own share of problems or challenges. In view of this, the purpose of this research is encapsulated in the following objectives:

1.     To Investigation  the role or functions of the prisons in criminal justice         administration in Kuje prison

2.     To examine if the Nigerian criminal justice is losing its authority and independence.

3.     To identify if the Nigerian Prison Service has lived up to its statutory   responsibility of reforming and rehabilitating offenders?

4.     To sport out if Nigerians will prefer reverting to traditional “Nigerian” practice in handling juvenile offenders in Kuje Abuja.

5.     To ascertain if Nigerians are in support of the current situation where about 70% inmates of the Kuje Prison, mostly young people are awaiting trial.

  

1.5   Significance of the Study

This study is significant in so many aspects especially among the major stake holders in the criminal justice administration in Nigeria the police, the courts, the prisons and the Nigerian people and governments in general.  

1.        The Nigerian Police Force, the first leg in the triangular Criminal Justice    Administration in Nigeria will benefit immensely in the findings of this research. This is because, as noted above, many Nigerians including the Chief Justice of the Federation are not happy with the current state of the Nigerian C.J.A, and the situation is giving bad image to the Nigerian Police Force.

2.        The Courts in Nigeria, as one of the legs in the triangular setting of the C.J.A will also derive maximum benefits from the findings of this research. The Nigerian courts, just the police have a huge stake in the state of Criminal Justice Administration because in view of close relationship between the courts and Nigerian prisons, their short             falls or weaknesses must rub off on the functions, efficiency and effectiveness of the Kuje prisons in Abuja.

3.        The Kuje prisons service that is the focus of this research will no doubt derive a lot of benefits if the organization avails itself the opportunity to read and make use of the research findings. This is more so because, as we know, in the triangular relationship between the police the courts and the Nigerian Prisons, “garbage in garbage out” type of relationship will be the order of the day. Moreover, the 70% inmates of the Kuje Prisons on awaiting trial is enough evidence that all is not well with the C.J.A in Nigeria. The incidences of jail breaks give much credence to the fact that all is not well with our prisons.

4.        The various levels of governments in Nigeria — the Federal, State and local governments will find this research enriching, especially with the rising wave crime in Nigeria, warranting giving largest percentage of money to security in the annual budgets. This practice has tendered to starve other sectors enough funds to execute their yearly programmes.

5.        Nigerians as a whole will be happy to read and appreciate the                                  situation of the prisons and the challenges facing the Nigerian                           prison as it battles to fulfill its statutory responsibilities.

6.        Finally, as we know, the essence of this  research of this nature  into  unearth certain facts and make recommendations that will be made to the appropriate authorities in order for such authorities to take remedial actions.

1.6       Scope of the Study

The Scope of the research study according to Ekeh (2003:71) “...is a presentation of the aspects, Dimensions or Components of the problem to be tackled in the study and probably including reasons why particular aspects have been included while others neglected”. Due to time factor and financial constraints, this study is limited in scope, in that only the three institutions the police, the courts and the prison in Abuja have made use of other prisons police formations and courts outside the F.C.T are excluded; the research is also delimited to role of the Kuje Prisons in Criminal Justice             Administration.

1.7      Delimitation

Osuala (1982) posits that the nature of research itself can limit the researcher in making generalizations. Lack of time makes it difficult for the researcher to sufficiently combine the use of questionnaire with other types of data collection instruments like interview and participant observation. Extensive internet search for more materials could not be done also due to the same time constraint 2013-2016.

1.8      Research Methods

Research methods or methods of researcher “...refer to the system orderliness or way of doing something” (Ekeh, 2003). A combination of     survey and descriptive research methods are used in carrying out this research.

The research justifies these methods because of their relevance in what the researcher is studying. Descriptive research according Ekeh (2003) is used to describe an event, situation or phenomenon as it is at the time of research. Descriptive statistical tools like frequencies, tables, percentages, etc., are used to summarize and describe the PHENOMENA under study. In survey method or approach to research, “. Data are collected from relatively large number of subjects or samples at a particular time (Ekeh, 2003:29); and this is justified because many respondents are used in collecting information through the use of questionnaire. This is to make sure sufficient number of sample of the population is gotten and used in order to get relatively high level of accuracy.

1.9      Operational Definition of Term

Osuala (1982) posits that in research, terms that have a unique use in the study, that are subject to several interpretations by different readers of the study, or that are technical in nature are defined. The following terms are operationally defined thus:

 Prison: According to Opara (1998) is a place delimited and declared as such by law of the state and created to ensure restraint and custody of individuals accused or convicted of violating the criminal laws of the land.

Criminal Justice Administration: Is a process when the different components co-ordinate their independent functions by processing the          criminal aspect from one stage to another (Iwarence-Jaja, 2003).

Criminal Justice: According to Onimajesin (2013) is a legal process involving the procedure of processing the person accused of committing crime from arrest to the final disposal of the case.

The word role: is defined as function that a thing typically has or is

            expected to have.

Reformation: means making the offender better by trying to change his delinquent behaviour. (Nkwocha, et al, 2009).

Rehabilitation: Is simply defined for this study as bringing the offender to normal life.

Discipline and Disciplinary Action: Means training that it expected to produce a specified character or pattern of behavior which will lead to moral and mental improvement.  As defined in Black's Law Dictionary cited by A Gbakoba and Obeagu  (2003:27) means “any fine, penalty, or confinement inflicted upon a person by the authority of the law and the judgment and sentence of a court, for  some crime or offence committed by him or for his            omission of a duty enjoined by law...”

                                                CHAPTER TWO

2.0      LITERATURE REVIEW AND THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

            As Osuala (1982) has observed, related literature review serves to set    the             theoretical base for research and sets the current research into      perspective to “show the state of the art”. In taking cue from Osuala, the        following sub-topics of the related literature are reviewed,

            Namely:

1.        2.1 Definitions / Concepts of Prison

2.        2.1.1 Concept of Criminal Justice Administration (CJA)

3.         2.2 History of Prison in Nigeria

4.        23 Functions of Nigerian Prison Service

5.        2.4 Services rendered by the Prisons

6.        2.5 Problem of Nigerian Criminal Administration

7.        2.6 Problems of Nigerian Courts and Prisons

8.         2.7 Summary of Reviewed Literature.

2.1      Definitions/ Concepts of Prison

            Prison as a concept just like many concepts in social science disciplines has been variously defined by different authors and commentators.   McCorkle and Korn (1954) defines 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. In a similar vein, Sykes (1958),             Goffman (1961) and Okunola (1986) define prison as where people       are highly secluded from the rest of the world with entirely new order            of control. Opara (1998) on his part defines prison as a place            delimited and declared as such by the law of the state   and world with     entirely new order of control. Opara (1998) also defines prison as a             place delimited and declared as such by the law of the state             and created            to ensure restraint and custody of individuals accused or convicted of         violating the criminal laws of the state.

From Functionalist Perspective however, a prison is conceived 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 punish, reform, rehabilitate and teach offenders to be law abiding and productive after release.

            Prisons are also seen as a total institution when conceptualized from the             functionalist perspectives or framework, where there is no free     environment or community that houses those who are socially rejected,         insane or mentally retarded(Okunola, 1986). Goffman (1961) on his         part    conceptualizes total institution; which prison is one of many, as         where there is basic split between a large class of individuals who have     restricted contact without side world and stereotypical behavior             pattern, where social mobility is restricted in modern nations, prisons    are created by the status.

            According to Onimajesin (2013), section 2(1) of Prisons Act Cap. 366     laws of the Federation of Nigeria 1990, and Prison Decree No 9 of 1972,          section 2(i) and (ii) states:

1.     The minister of Internal Affairs may by order in the Federal gazette declare any building or a place in Nigeria to be a prison and by the same or subsequent orders specify the areas for which the prison established.

2.     Every prison shall include the grounds and buildings within the prison enclosure and any lock house for the temporary detention or custody of prisoners newly apprehended or under remand which is declared by the minister by order in the Federal gazette to be part of the prison.

3.     From the above statutory position, the pronouncement of the Minister of Interior can create a prison with the geographical zone in Nigeria. The other twin concept in the topic is Criminal Justice Administration, CJA.

2.1.1 Concept of Criminal Justice Administration

            Before defining criminal justice administration, the concept or the            word, “system”, needed to be defined. According to Schoderbek      (1968), a system is an organized or complex whole and assemblage   or combination of things or parts forming a complex or unitary         whole. From the above definition, the major operating           characteristic of systems is that what affects the function of one part    can potentially affect other parts, as well as the entire system.

            Criminal Justice According to Wikipedia Encyclopedia accessed through            the internet on 10/110/13 is a system of practice and institutions of government directed at upholding social control, deterring and      mitigating crime, or sanctioning those who violates laws with criminal           penalties and rehabilitation efforts. Onimajesin (2013) on his part             defines criminal justice as a legal entity and the interrelationships of        criminal justice elements comprising the police, courts and prisons, or           what in other jurisdictions are referred to as correctional facilities.

            To Onimajesin, it is a loose federation of agencies each separately budgeted, each drawing its manpower from separate wells, and each a          profession unto itself. Moore (1997) on his part conceptualizes Criminal          Justice Administration as not being a system in the usual             understanding of it, but that it is limited to the    extent that different             agencies are linked… through a process in which one agency’s “output” becomes the next agency’s “inputs”.

2.2      History of Nigeria Prisons In Nigeria

            The history of Prison evolution dates back to antiquity among the             communities that constituted geographical area we now call   Nigeria. Egu (1990), divided   the evolution of Nigerian Prison into   the pre-colonial    and post-colonial eras.   According to him, different             communities had their own legitimate methods of dealing with deviant            members of their         societies.

            Among the Yorubas, Ogboni served as Prison; among the Edos       Ewedas served as Prison and in the Northern parts of Nigeria, the             Fulanis had similar institutions. Among the Tivs and lgbos, there were            indications of functional equivalents of     prisons (Egu, 1990).

According to Lagos Blue Books as cited by Egu (1990) there was in existence a place of confinement at Faji where culprits were imprisoned and employed mainly on street cleaning. Between 1873 and   1900, this place of confinement was called “Gang Drivers” because of the nature of job in which the prisoners were employed. Things however did not remain the same when the British Government took over responsibility of administering Lagos.

`           The assumptions of responsibility of governance by the British govern Nigeria. As Egu (1990) posits that the evolution of an organized prisoners system began as one of the governments earliest terms of administration of justice. By 1872, Broad Street Prison had    been opened to accommodate 300 prisoners; but it was not until 1876 that the prison ordinance came into force. The Nigerian prison system was understandably modeled along      that of the British, and as the British administration expanded, more prisons were built as a necessary complement. Egu (1990) explained that by 1901, prisons had been   established            in Old Calabar, Asaba, Benin City, Sapele and Degema, under the control      of the Police Department. After the amalgamation of Nigeria in 1914, the prison ordinance of 1916, and prison regulations of 1917 were made as a positive step aimed at establishing the much needed uniform standard for prison administration. Lord Lugard was empowered to appoint the Director of Prisons and other officials who were responsible for general management and superintendence of the prison system. The Directors of Prisons were in turn empowered to make standing orders for organization, discipline, clothing of prisoners and staff. There was however some modification of prison administration in the Southern Nigeria. In the Southern Nigeria, prisons were modeled along the British standard having three categories of prisons. These categories as    documented by Egu(1990) include Convict Prison  for those sentenced to more than two          years imprisonment, a Provincial Prison for offenders serving less than two years; and Divisional Prison to hold short- term prisoners serving less than six months    sentence. Just like in Lagos, the general control and supervision of prison was vested in the senior prison         officers, but Divisional prisons were, for convenience, placed under the supervision of administrative officers (Egu, 1990).

According to Egu (1990), in the North, the pattern was entirely different. Native Authorities operated prisons on local levels usually under the day to day Supervision of Chief Warder or what is called “Yari” in Hausa. They function under the administrative control of the district officers/provincial secretaries.

2.3      Aims, Objectives and Functions of Nigerian Prison

            As Nkwocha et at (2009) have noted, the aims of modern prison   system anywhere in the civilized world are protection of society,        retribution, deterrence, reformation and rehabilitation of convicted       prisoners. The aims and objectives of prisons as stated above are not in     no way different from those of the Kuje prisons.

            The Kuje prisons, just like other prisons in other parts of the world          plays the role of safe custody of inmates to ensure recovery of those            who serve the cause of disorder. Reformation and rehabilitation          (Nkwocha, et a! 2009) noted are very important and indeed are the       dominant aspects of the aims and objectives of the Nigerian Prison             Service. Apart from the aims and objectives, the Kuje prisons have            functions which are similar to what is obtainable in other parts of         the      world.

2.3.1  Functions of Nigerian Prison Service

As Cox Stephen et al (1989) opined, the criminal justice is best viewed as a network funds used to build prisons; and jails must be appropriated from the      public, and prisoners who are released into society must be reintegrated if rehabilitation is one of the goals of prison. Functions of the Nigeria Prison Service are quite many, some of which include reformation, rehabilitation, security, and disciplinary        action, education, medical treatment, religious instruments,   and punishment.  

Reformation
            Reformation in prisons according to Cox and Wade (1989) was     pioneered by Enlightenment Thinkers’ efforts of Montesquieu,          Vottaire, Beccaria and Benthem who succeeded in reforming harsh            penal philosophy that existed earlier before their period. Their             efforts paid off, hence reformation in prisons were geared    towards       using all the remedial, educational, moral, spiritual and other   forces and forms of assistance, which are appropriate and available and    should seek to apply them according to the individual treatment needs   of the prisoner.

Rehabilitation
Rehabilitation means bringing the offender to normal life; and this is one of the major functions of the Nigerian Prisons Services in Kuje prisons.

            To rehabilitate an individual, he must be “straightened out” deep within            his own personality. Nkwocha,. et al (2009) maintains that the            rehabilitative activities of modern prison generally have psychological       or psychiatric treatment and Educational or vocational programmes.

Security
Security in the Kuje Prison, especially internal security is another major function of             the Nigeria prison warders. The Kuje prison does so by keeping safe custody of inmates both convicted people and those on awaiting trial list.

            Discipline and Disciplinary Action

Another function of the Nigerian prisons (NP) is to discipline. This action is however meant to produce a specified character or pattern of behavior which will lead to moral and mental improvement in the lives of the convicts.

            According to Nkwocha, et al (2009), discipline and disciplinary action    applied on prisoners include pattern of behavior that will lead to             adherence to approved rules of the society.

            Education
            In the Kuje prisons, the welfare branch of the Prison Services supervises           adult             education in the Prison; and provision of education services to the           inmates of the prison is one of the major functions of NPS. Many         prisoners have studied and get FSLC and GCE while in the prison.   Emphasis is placed on study groups and the creative acts such as        music, drama and literature which help inmates to avoid mental   stagnation and open the world of knowledge.

            Medical Treatment

            Another important function of Nigerian Prison Service (NPS) is      provision of medical treatment to the inmates. In Kuje prisons, sick    inmates are treated and sometimes referred to general hospitals when        the illness is beyond what medical facilities in the prison can handle. It     has been advocated that there should be special psychiatric treatment    for those marked ‘for observation” who may be        psychopathic         (Nkwocha, et al, 2009).

           

            Religious Instruction

            Provision of religious instructions is one of the important functions of    the Kuje Prison. Provision of religious instructions to inmates has       pacifying effect on prisoners and this leads to moral rearmament.

            There is statutory provision for the             services of a chaplain of each denomination Christians and Muslims in every prison. Services are   needed for Christians and Fridays for Moslems.

            Punishment
            Punishment is equally one of the functions of the Kuje prison, though it             varies in intensity, mode, style and extent. According to Nkwocha, et al         (2009), what determines the type of punishment depends on the     nature of crime, and the criminal, the status of the victim and the       extent of his victimization, and the   feelings of the society towards the             crime committed. Punishments meted out to convicted people are            death, imprisonment, fine and suspended sentence. According to   Igbinovia, et al (2003) as cited by Nwankwo, et al (2009), from historical and global view, philosophy of punishment embodies fair         theoretical   principles,   namely, vengeance, deterrence, rehabilitation             and prevention. The prisoner is to be punished for having offended the             state and the state therefore pays him back in his own coin. As   Nkwocha, et al (2009) has observed, the above four theoretical and            philosophical principles still govern the minds of Nigerian courts and        indeed the Nigerian public when one is being sentenced.  

2.4      Services Provided By the Nigerian Prisons

           

1

Some of the Services rendered by the Nigerian Prison in Kuje Prison        include punishing, reforming and rehabilitating prisoners. To effectively   achieve the             above, various occupational groups were introduced in the    Kuje Prisons: Below are the summary of some of these group as         documented by the Nigerian   Prisons Service Annual Report (1985).

            According to the NPS Annual Report of 1985, various groups perform    various functions aimed at giving the prisoners the opportunity to be          reformed and later rehabilitated, and some of such occupational groups   are:

           

             Vocational Training Group

            In an effort to reform and rehabilitate prisoners, vocational training        facilities are provided in Kuje prisons. The inmates make use of these      facilities to make   products like children’s dresses, bed-sheets,           pillows-covers, cushions, back-rests, prisoners’ uniforms etc.

            Sometimes some of these items produced by the prisoners are sold to     the public to generate income to the prisoners and the prison           institution as a whole.

           

           

Agricultural Section  

This section according to the Nigerian Annual Prison Report of 1985 operates under Commerce Division of the establishment, and functions as a training and revenue-yielding arm of the NPS. The aim according to the report is geared towards equipping prisoners with basic skills in modern agricultural practice which is useful for rehabilitation on discharge. The agricultural section also provides the prisoners in kuje prison gainful employment while efforts in making Nigeria self-reliant in food production. It also earns revenue for the government and reduces the cost of running the prisons.

            Industrial Section

Industrial section according to this report is one of the sections that come under commerce Division of the department designed for Production and Training of Prison inmates in kuje prison. This section also aims at achieving self-reliance in acquisition of its day-to-day working tools which the prisoners in kuje prison usually need.

           

            Educational Programmers

            Educational Programmer is one of the Services provided to the Kuje        Prisoners as posted by the Nigerian prison Annual Report quoted above.            Educational programmers  run by the Nigerian Prison Services (NPS)            include, educational training to gain Adult Education, First School Leaving  Certificate, Trade Test Certificate, General Certificate of             Education (GCE) OIL, General Certificate of Education (GCE) A/L, Diploma and Degree, and Adult Literacy Certificate.

            Medical Health Care 

            The NPS makes sure that the inmates of the Kuje prison remain healthy            and alive until they fully serve their terms of imprisonment, granted amnesty or pardon, sentenced to death, etc. To achieve all these,           Medical Health care section is provided. This section as mentioned above cares for the health of the inmates, staff and their families.   Qualified medical staffs are provided, and serious Medical cases are    usually referred to general hospitals.

            Case Work Counseling

Case work counseling according to the Nigerian Prisons Annual Report quoted above provides case work counseling service to the prison inmates in Kuje prison. This duty is carried out by the prison staff as soon as being admitted into the prison yard, those who lose the contacts of their relations are helped to regain such contacts; those with matrimonial challenges are assisted to solve such challenges; those that have   disputes with their landlords are equally assisted to solve such disputes.

           

Social Welfare Services

The NPS annual reported in question posits that the aim of social welfare section department is:

1.     To enable new inmates adjust and adapt to prison environment so as to be receptive to treatment;

2.     To assist normal reconciliation with the inmate’ families friends and relations they have been estranged due to their anti-social behaviour;
to help inmates in effecting satisfactory mental attitudinal social and economic adjustment on discharge.

3.     To  handle matters relating to juvenile offenders   

4.     To take care of matters relating to staff welfare

5.     To process staff’s documents in order to get their gratuities/pension on retirement The Nigerian Criminal justice          administration has many problems or challenges

2.5      Problem of Nigerian Criminal Administration

            There is no doubt that the three legs of Criminal Justice Administration in Nigeria namely the police, the court and the prison have problems or         challenges. For the ake of detailed analysis each of them is treated    separately

           

            The Nigerian Police

            According to Onimajesin (2003) there are problems involved in police   search and             seizure the preventive Powers of the law. The    law states    that where a magistrate is satisfied that there is reasonable ground for        believing that there is in any building ship, carriage, receptacle or place    anything’ upon or in respect of which any offence has been or is         Suspected to have been committed the magistrate may, at any time,          issues a search warrant authorizing an officer of the COU, member of            the police force, member of a native authority or other persons named therein” (Onimajesin, 2003: 199).

            Another area the Nigerian Police have a huge challenge is in the use of    extra-legal             force. The law permits the police to use reasonable force in execution of any   lawful sentence, process or warrant or in making any   arrest... but the degree of force which is justified under above     provisions is only that which is reasonably necessary for the             purpose stated, and if the force is in excess of that is used, the         person using it will be criminally responsible for any excess according       to the nature and quality of the exact which constitutes the excess” (Onimajesin, 2003:200).

Other areas the Nigerian Police men and women encounters a lot of         problems are in the area of identification parade. It has been repeatedly    observed by researchers that some police personnel make the       mistake or intentionally breach this rule, and do so with much             impurity (Onirnajesin,. 2003).

The Nigerian police also encounter some challenges because some abuse duty roll call. According to the same author, “in recent times there has been serious     cases of impersonation of duty police by men ‘or retired officers, who adorn their disregarded uniforms” and pose as officer” (Onimajesin, 2003: 200).

2.6      Problems of Nigerian Courts And Prisons

            The court is the second sub-system of the CJA in Nigeria whose proper   functioning             and development depends on the caliber of the personnel    appointed to man courts. As Onimajesin (2003) has observed, nothing      frustrates the citizenry and erodes their confidence in judicial system more than having a judiciary that cannot be trusted as a fair and    unbiased arbiter.

            Inadequate funding and lack of infrastructure as noted by Onimejesin    (2003) has             reduced the impact of the second arm of the CJA in Nigeria; poor remuneration of judicial officers wrong use of discretionary          powers and corruption among the   judicial officers; and judicial       involvement in politics are other problems confronting the Nigerian             judiciary (Onimajesin, 2003).

            The third sub-system of CJA is the prison, which like the police and          courts has its own problems. According to Agbakoba and Obeagu      (2002:23) “Most of prisons have indeed fallen below the minimum    standard preserved by the prisons Act”. The duo posits that Kuje      prisons lack some essential offender treatment facilities. According to    them:

            Generally the prisons are unit for human habitation. Structural      arrangements are somewhat incoherent. Existing facilities are in decay. The Kuje prisons are in sorry state: too congested and poorly ventilated;      prisoners and detainees are cramped together and well over 60%    inanely suspects, mostly innocent citizens, yet to be found guilty are        in custody awaiting their trial.

Agbakoba and Obeagu (2002) argue that some of the causes of overcrowding in prisons include; holding charge syndrome, delay          in the administration of justice, decaying infrastructure; poor funding of prisons and over-use of prison sentence by courts. It has also been observed that most of those so detained in the prisons have no charges against them, and more often than not, nobody follows up the arrest either to prosecute or charge them (Agbakoba and Obeagu, 2002). They duo also explain that, till date, Nigeria does not have a prison system that guarantees the reform of prisoners.

            They also observe that the prison as a punishment industry is        currently in health arises as it suffers from epileptic disease of          inadequate supply of desired             correctional needs of criminal justice          system.

They also observe that “Even after   serving their jail terms, these prisoners are pushed back into the society worse than they cause. Many often at time the inmates often become hardened and difficult to reform”(Agbakoba and Obeaga, 2002: 25).

            Onimajesin (2003) on his part argues that criminal policy of the country             encouraged the adoption of central prison administration which is           essentially             directed towards punishment as retributions and         humiliation, and at best, as a deterrent to particular or specific accused            persons and potential offender made more than marginal effort at   implementing the policy of rehabilitating criminals. The same author             also observes that very little attention was paid to correctional policies   concerning juvenile offenders. On criminal policy and sentencing             Onimajesin (2003) also observes that criminal policy of any        administration manifests itself in one the nature of sentences             prescribed by law and imposed on persons convicted of criminal offences. The sanctions for guilt prescribed in the criminal lodes       suggest dearly a tendency towards deterrent and retributive rather        than reformative theories of punishment.

Poor socio-economic conditions have seriously and adversely        attested the prisoners, It has been observed that there is poor         supply of electricity and water to inmates, and as a result, reading        in        poor light conditions cause blindness, and bathing daily is impossible.          Many of the inmates wear tattered clothes and are disease afflicted due    to poor sanitary conditions and lack of adequate medical care         (Ominajesis 2003).

2.7      Summary of Reviewed Literature

In reviewing the related literature, the concepts of prison and Criminal Justice Administration are extensively defined;, the historical evolution of the prison is also traced from the pre-colonial “Nigeria” to the British colonial administration to the present period. The major functions of the prisons, which include punishment, reformation and rehabilitation, are also explained. Services rendered by the prisons are explained; some of these services are counseling,   medical occupational, etc. The problem or challenges of the  prisons are also explained. They include poor funding, having too many prisoners in prison made for a few; too many awaiting trial inmates in Kuje prison, decapitated prison yards in kuje prison, etc.

CHAPTER THREE
      RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.1      Introduction

This Research methodology is quite important in every research in that it shows various methods in acquiring data in the study. The main research methods employed in this research are: research design, identification of population sample size, questionnaire design and Administration. Personal interview and participant observations are also deployed to support structured questions, especially when there was need to clarify some issues in the course administering questionnaire.

3.2      Research Design

            “Research design” according to Nachmias and Nachmias (1985:77)          “is the program that guides the investigator in the process of             collecting, analyzing and interpreting observations”. In this study,   survey descriptive approach is adopted which Osuala (1982:145)          describes as a “research that specifies the nature of given             phenomena”. This approach is justified on the ground that it will give in-           depth understanding of the role of prisons in, Criminal Justice         Administration. This will also, as Osuala has observed, give a true        picture of what the focus of this research is all about. The survey angle          to the research is included because a reasonable number of population             samples are used             in conducting the study.

3.3           Area Of Study

The area of study is the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja kuje prison with six Area Councils and about 1,405,201 inhabitants according to 2007 census conducted by President Olusegun Obasanjo Administration. Institutions of Criminal Justice Administration in the FCT include the various police and other security agencies, the courts and the prisons, which unlike the police and court, has only one in the F.C.T the Kuje prison. The population of the F.C.T is currently put at over 3 million people.

3.4           Population And Sample Of Study

The population of study in research according to Ekeh (2003:79)         refers to the entire members of the universe being studied...that possess those characteristics or traits in’ which the researcher is       interested”. The major stakeholders that are involved in the triangular Criminal Justice Administration ‘relationship, namely, the policemen, court officials and Prison Population the warders and prisoners constitute the population of this study from where a sample population is gotten. In other words, policemen and women, staff of various courts in the F.C.T and warders and prisoners in Kuje prison constitute the population of the study. The researcher justifies using the above population and sample because they represent the closest constituency of Criminal Administration in the Federal Capital Territory.

3.5           Sample Selection And Techniques

In view of the heterogeneous nature of the population of study,               systematic sampling method, under probability sampling techniques are deployed in carrying out the research. Due to time and financial constraints, and large area of study, the organizations involved in Criminal Justice Administration, namely, the police, courts and prison are allocated research instruments in the following ration: 40:30:30 respectively. Those selected were randomly done as indicated earlier.

3.6           Instrument Of Data Collection            

The instruments used by the researcher are: Interview,     Questionnaire      and Observational Techniques where structured and unstructured             questions are used. The questionnaire contains ‘yes’ and ‘no’ options, however, instructional aspect of the questionnaire gives the respondents’ ample opportunities to express their views on the issues as they want. Observation aspect takes the form of observing the   respondents in the course of the research.

3.6.1       Validity of The Instrument       

The instruments used in the study, -namely, Interview,                  Questionnaire and Observation are packaged to properly measure the validity of the study because they accurately measure or ascertain the’ subject matter “The role of prisons in the Criminal Justice Administration in Abuja”. The Research hence deployed content validity in dealing with the subject matter.

36.2          Reliability of the Instrument

One of the major concepts involved in measurement is reliability. OsuaLa (1982:127), explains that reliability refers to consistency of measurement. The instrument used by the researcher no doubt measure the consistency of the problems under different conditions and at different times with selected organizations in the area of study, and this is maintained by Test-retest approach. This is justified because the researcher, knowing full well that in research, if enough care is not taken the idea of “garbage in garbage out” might cause a huge damage to the outcome of research.

3.7            Methods of Data Collection

Methods of’ data collection as Ekeh (2003) puts it “are description of   how the researcher administers or collect information or data from respondents or those sampled”. Both data-primary and secondary are collected b the researcher by ‘himself with a research assistant that was earlier lectured on how to carry out field work of this nature. The data       collected include journals, magazines, and books relating to the three legs of the criminal administration in Nigeria.

3.8           Method Of Data Analysis

In view of the fact that this research is a descriptive type,   corresponding method of data analysis are made uses of they include tables, frequencies, and percentages.

CHAPTER FOUR

DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS

This chapter presents and analyses all the data collected based on the    feed-back or responses from the respondents through the questionnaire        administered on the sampled population.

                 Being a survey descriptive study, the results are presented in

                 Tables and analyzed with simple percentages.

      Table 4.2: Gender Distribution of Respondents

Sex	Frequency	%of Respondents
Male	58	64
Female	32	36
Total	90	100

      Source: Field Survey, 2017

Table 4.2 shows that 58 (64%) of the respondents are male, while 32            (36%) are female. This implies that the researcher is             gender sensitive, though understandably, male respondents are more than female respondents.

           

     

       Table 4.3: Age Distribution of Respondents

Age Bracket	Frequency	%of Respondents
30 YRS & below	18	20
31-40 years	48	53
41-50 years	24	27
51-60 years	-	-
61-and above	-	-
Total	90	100

Source: Field Survey, 2017

            Table 4.3 above shows that 18 (20%) of the respondents are within the             age bracket of 30 years below; 48 (53%) fall within the age bracket of             31-40 years; while 25(27%) of the respondents are between 41 and 50   years of age. This shows that majority of those interviewed are young         people below 50 years of age. Majority of them however fall within the

            age bracket of 31-40years.

Table 4.4: Respondents Qualifications

Qualification	Frequency	% of Respondents
FSLC	-	-
School Cert/GCE	-	-
OND/HND/BSc	64	71
MSC & above	26	29
Total	90	100

Source: Field Survey, 2017

            The data above shows that 64 (71%) of the respondents hold OND, HND          or BSc degree from different disciplines; 26 (29%) have MSc and above.             This shows that those interviewed are quite educated in their fields,     implying also that many Nigerians, especially those in security and         security-related organizations and judicial institutions are Academics       conscious.

           

            Table 4.5: Respondents Knowledge of Functions of the NPS

	Frequency	% of Respondents
a.  Helping the Police to arrest criminals	4	4
b. Reporting suspected criminals to the authorities	2	2
C. Warehousing arms and ammunitions to fight Boko Haram	2	2
d. Reforming of prisons inmates to changes their delinquent behaviours	60	67
e. Rehabilitation OF Prison Imamates To Live A Normal Life	16	18
f. Keeping safe custody of inmates in prison	28	31

            Source: Field Survey, 2017

            In table 4.5, the first three options are not the functions, of the NPS,         while the last three options are. Sixty (60) or 67% of those interviewed     are quite aware of the fact that reforming .of prison inmates is one of the             functions of the prison. Sixteen or 18% and 28 or 31% are aware of            other functions of the prison. The data also shows that the awareness of          the core functions of the prison is quite low, even among the             stakeholders’ security judiciary and prison staff-

            Table 4.6: Effects of corruption on C.J.A in Nigeria Frequency

Options	Frequency	% of Respondents
Yes	88	98
No	2	2
Total	90	100

            Source: Field Survey, 2017

           

On the effects of corruption on C.J.A in Nigeria, 88(98%) answer ‘yes’ to            the question: “Do you agree with the observation that the Nigerian C.J.A        is losing its independence?” while only 2(2%) answered ‘no’ to the same          question. The data above clearly shows that majority of the respondents believe that corruption has permeated the C.J.A in Nigeria.

           

Table 4.7: Losing of Independence by the Nigerian C.JA

Options	Frequency	% of Respondents
Yes	82	91
No	8	9
Total	90	100

            Source: Field Survey, 2017

            Table 4.7 above shows respondents, responses on whether the Nigerian           Criminal Justice Administration is losing their independence; eighty- two (82 or 91%) of the             respondents answered ‘yes’, while 8 or 9%         responded ‘no’. From their responses, one can deduce that majority of the respondents have lost confidence on the I Independence of the             Nigerian C.J.A, and this is not good enough in view of the negative             implications.  

            Table 4.8: Guaranteeing of Justice at all times in Nigeria

Options	Frequency	% of Respondents
Yes	56	62
No	34	38
Total	90	100

            Source: Field Survey, 2017

           

The above table demonstrates the responses of respondents on whether           justice is guaranteed at all times in Nigeria. Fifty-six (56 or 62%) of     the sampled population posit that justice is not achieved in Nigeria,          while 34 (38%) of other believe justice is achieved or guaranteed in   Nigeria. The result though not overwhelming but calls for concern             because of the negative implications when applied to the larger society.

           

Question 9: Suggestions on Ways to strengthen the Nigeria C.J.A

            Majority of those sampled believe that judicial independence; equality   before the law, proper funding of the judiciary; employment of more             judicial officer; training and retraining of judicial officers; eradication of         corruption in the judiciary; non political interference; injection of           fearless judges in the judiciary; enough welfare packages for judiciary      officers will go ,a long way to strengthen the Nigerian C.J.A.

            Few numbers of them suggest the following as ways of making the C.J.A             more functional, effective and efficient. Discipline of officials in the C.J.A;           Legislative reforms; judicial autonomy; speedy trial of criminal cases;          keeping those on .awaiting trial outside the prisons, proper         rehabilitation of prison inmates; easy access to legal services by             offenders; restructuring of C.J.A; helping the police to arrest suspects;     sound academic qualifications for C.J.A officials; putting a stop to     unnecessary adjournment of cases in courts; Chief Justice of the   Federation to be elected not appointed as currently practiced; abolition         of quota system in appointment of judges.

            A small number of the respondents suggest other ways of strengthening           the C.J.A in Nigeria to include: giving more security to our judges;       abolition of legal technicalities in court proceedings; use of Alternative          Dispute Resolution (ADR) in

            settling cases; sending cases to court without delay by the police;   building more modern prisons; good legislation by the Federal, State            and local government legislative organs; judges to avoid sentiments in         giving judgments.

            Table 4.10: Efficacy of deterring criminals through confinement in            Prisons

Options	Frequency	% of Respondents
Yes	34	38
No	56	62
Total	90	100

            Source: Field Survey, 2017

           

Question 10 on the questionnaire is meant to know the respondents’      view on the issue of whether confining criminals in prison has        deterred other people from committing crime. As many as 34(38%)    of those sampled answered in affirmative, while 56 (62%) posit that        confining criminals into the prisons does not deter the would be             criminals. Their responses are instructive in that as much as 62% of the            people sampled believe the current system of confining criminals in           prisons can not deter other people from looming criminal acts.

           

Table 4.11: Capability of Nigeria Prison in reforming Prisoners

Options	Frequency	% of Respondents
Yes	36	40
No	54	60
Total	90	100

            Source: Field Survey, 2017

           

Table 4.11 indicates the responses of those sampled on whether the        Nigerian

            Prisons have what it takes to reform prisoners. Thirty-six (36 or 40%)   of the respondents believe that Nigeria prisons do have the capacity to    reform prisoners; while 54 (60%) of them do not believe. The data go a         long way to show that many do not have confidence in our prison           system and one can infer that this trend is applicable to the larger            society.

            Table 4.12: Capability of Nigeria Prisons to Rehabilitate Prisoners

Options	Frequency	% of Respondents
Yes	40	44
No	50	56
Total	90	100

            Source: Field Survey, 2017

The table above shows that 40 (44%) of those sampled believe that the Nigerian prisons have the capability to rehabilitate prisoners, while 50         (56%) of them do not agree. Here again, it is instructive that majority of those sampled do not believe that the Nigeria prisons do have the   capacity and capability to rehabilitate prisoners.

            Table 4.13: Reverting to Traditional “Nigerian” treatment of  
            Juveniles

Options	Frequency	% of Respondents
Yes	50	66
No	40	44
Total	90	100

            Source: Field Survey, 2017

            Table 4.13 above demonstrates that 50 (66%) of the respondents would          prefer Nigerians reverting to Traditional “Nigerian” method of treating    juveniles instead of the current method. This verdict of the respondents           may have been as a result of harsh treatment meted to the juvenile in    the current             British inspired system.

            Table 4.14: Preference for reverting to Traditional "Nigeria"             System of             treating those who commit "theft due to hunger".

Options	Frequency	% of Respondents
Yes	82	47
No	48	53
Total	90	100

            Source: Field Survey, 2017

            Table 4.14 indicates that 42 (47%) of the respondents want Nigerians to           revert back-to traditional “Nigerian” system where those who stole            because of hunger were given mild punishment or no punishment at       all; while 48 (53%) posit that they do not approve of it.

            Table 415: Using traditional “Nigerian” system to settle non- serious criminal offences than reporting to the Police

Options	Frequency	% of Respondents
Yes	82	91
No	8	9
Total	90	100

            Source: Field Survey, 2017

           

The above table indicates that overwhelming number of the            respondents (82 or 91%) would prefer Nigerians to revert back to   traditional “Nigerian” way of settling non-serious criminal cases    through community leaders than restoring to informing        the police;           while only a few number of them (8 or 9%) would want Nigerians to      continue with current practice of reporting such non-serious criminal           cases to the police.

           

Table 4.16: Respondents’ Responses on the current harsh

            Nigerian socio-economic that tends to force some Nigerians into    criminality

Options	Frequency	% of Respondents
Yes	80	89
No	10	11
Total	90	100

            Source: Field Survey, 2017

           

Table 4.16 above show that majority (80/89%) of the respondents believe that the current socio-economic environment in Nigeria tends to force some Nigeria into criminality, while only a minority few (10 or 11%) do not agree that the current harsh socio-economic situation in the country force some Nigerians into criminality. The verdict returned by the respondents is quite instructive because such situation has potentials    for grievous consequences.

            Table 4.7: Respondents' view on about 70% of Nigerians awaiting trial in prison

Options	Frequency	% of Respondents
Yes	42	47
No	48	53
Total	90	100

            Source: Field Survey, 2017

            Table 4.17 shows that 42 (47%) of the respondents approve of a situation where over 70% of Nigerians especially the young ones are             on awaiting trial list in the Nigeria prisons, while 48 (53%) of those      sampled do not approve of the situation, but they have variety of     suggestions on how to change, the situation for better.

            Some of the major ways to change the current situation where we have about 70% of Nigerians, mostly young ones awaiting trial in the Nigeri        prisons include; creation of employment or job opportunities for the unemployed; training  the unemployed to be self-reliant; provision of        free education to all; speedy dispensation of justice;    attitudinal             change by prosecutors; repositioning of Legal Aid Council;   good leadership; carrying the youth alone in government policies;    employment of more policemen and women; and setting up of special        court to try certain offences.

Yet, another set of those sampled advocated for overhaul of the judiciary; creation of a just and fair society; stoppage -of delaying justice; construction of better prisons and rehabilitation of prisoners; granting of amnesty to some categories of prisoners; decongestion of prisons: provision of basic amenities in prisons; addressing the issue of bail for those in police custody; proper education to all children; respect for traditional institutions; some defense councils to work on pro-bono basis; thorough investigations should be conducted before suspects are reminded in police custody; extension of bench warrant to 14 days; adoption of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR); establishment of juvenile courts; dismissal of prolong cases; good moral upbringing of air youths; sacking of corrupt judges, quick dispensation of justice; reverting back to traditional African Criminal Justice Administration and reforming security agencies.

4.18     Summary of Findings

    Having analyzed the data presented in Chapter four, below are
               the summary of the findings:

1.              On the knowledge of functions of the NPS by the respondents, it is clear that majority of them do not underfund the key functions of           the prison.

2.              Corruption has seriously affected the C.J.A in Nigeria

3.              Another finding is that the Nigerian C.J.A is losing their independence

4.              The fourth finding is that justice is not guaranteed at all times in Nigeria.

5.              Suggestions on how to make sure that justice is guaranteed to all Nigerians at all times are divergent: Judicial independence, proper finding of the judiciary, employment of more judges to handle cases in courts; training and re-training of judicial officers; eradication of corruption in the C.J.A topped the list of solutions preferred.

6.              It is found out that confining of prisoners in the prison has not deterred other people from going into criminal activities.

7.              The NPS does not have the capacity and capability to reform and rehabilitate prisoners.

8.              Reverting back to traditional “Nigerian” method of treating juveniles is preferred to the current British inspired method. However, reverting back to traditional “Nigerian” way. of treating those who “steal due to hunger” is not accepted

9.              Preference was given to reverting back to traditional “Nigerian” practice of using community leaders to settle non-serious criminal cases, than reporting such to the police.

10.        The current socio-economic situation in Nigeria tends to force           many Nigerians, especially the youths into criminality.

11.        In spite of the finding on (10) above, respondents do support the practice of allowing over 70 percent of Nigerians awaiting trial in   the Nigerian prisons all over the country.

12.        Major suggestions on how to reduce the number of people in awaiting trial list include creation of employment; speedy dispensation of justice; provision of social security for the unemployed; creation of a just Nigeria and good economy; employment of more policemen and selling up of special courts.

CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

5.1      Conclusion
            In writing the concluding part of this study, the findings are related to    the body of knowledge; the implications as they relate to the questions   explained and recommendations made.

As noted in literature review, the “outputs” from the police and courts are the “inputs” of the prisons; and for the Nigerian prisons to   play its roles in triangular relationship in the C.J.A, it must perform its core responsibilities or functions very well. However, from the researcher’s finding, the NPS has not fulfilled its core functions of reforming and rehabilitating the prisoners.

The close relationship between the two other sub-systems of CJA implies that for the Nigerian prisons to effectively play its role very well,  the      police and courts must be effective, efficient and functional because as        noted above, the “outputs” of the police and courts are the ‘inputs’ of the prisons. There is no way, for example, the prison can effectively and efficiently play its statutory roles in the CJA in Nigeria if the police and courts are still riddled with corruption, poor funding, political interference, etc.

5.2      Recommendations
            In view of the fact that the CJA in any country involves the three    closely related sub-systems, namely, the police, the courts and the   prisons, and the “out puts” of the first two are the “inputs” of the tired-    the prisons, the recommendations made are based on the findings        cutting across the entire CJA, not just the prisons. They are:

1.           Judicial reforms have to be effected to make judiciary in dependence and autonomous in order to effectively play its role of quick dispensation of justice.

2.           Adequate funding of CJA through which staff of should have more training and retraining, modernize the entire system increase the salary and welfare package of the entire staff should be the order of the day.

3.           Corruption and all forms of political interference especially in police and courts should be eradicated.

4.           Speedy trial of cases, stoppage of unnecessary adjournments and abolition of legal technicalities in courts should be put in place.

5.           Adoption of alternative Disputes Resolution and reverting back to modernized pre-colonial “Nigerian” approach to CJA in some areas should be considered.

6.           Building more and the necessary amenities and conducive interpersonal relationship among the staff of prison and inmates should be effected.

7.           Good leadership that will bring about ‘good governance that will reduce social inequality and create egalitarian society as envisaged by the current

8.           Nigerian constitution should be enthroned.

9.           Creating job opportunities and provision of social security to those who don’t have jobs should be implemented.

10.     Amnesty should be granted to some categories of prison inmates.

11.     Quick granting of bail to accused persons and stoppage of arresting people just to extort money from them by the police should be considered.

12.     Granting of free education at all levels for Nigerian and `establishment of juvenile courts to try juveniles should also be considered.

Appendix I

                                                                        Intercultural Conflict and communication  
                                                                        Faculty of Social Sciences
                                                                        Department of Sociology

                                                                        University of Abuja

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am a student of the above institution carrying out a research on:
“The Role of the Nigerian Prisons in the Administration of Criminal Justice in Nigeria: A Study of Kuje Prison Abuja”.

Kindly answer the questions below as objectively as you can. Your responses are purely for academic purposes hence shall be strictly private and confidential, and your name is not required.

The outcome of the research shall be summarized and presented to the university, and can as well be of value to you and your organization.

I wish to thank you in advance for your support and cooperation in completing this questionnaire in spite of time constraint.

Yours Sincerely,

Helen O. Isaac

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Dambazna, A. B. (1994): Criminology and Criminal Justice. Spectrum Books Ltd: Ibadan

Dambazna, A.B. (1994): Law and Criminality in Nigeria: An Analytical Discourse.’             University Press: Ibadan

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Okeke, Benjamin C. (2008), Towards Prison Reforms. The Zarephat Aid Story (ed), Presentation Publishing House: Lagos.

 Okonkwo, C.S. and Naish (1980),Criminal Law in Nigeria (2!d ed.)           Spectrum Book Ltd: Abuja.

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 Ola, C.S. (2001) Criminal Responsibilities and Defenses under the Nigerian Law, CSS Law Series: Lagos.

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Osuala, E.C. (1982). Introduction to RESEARCH METHODOLOGY.Africana -FEP Publishers Ltd. Benin City.

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 Rawb, J. (1971) “A Theory of Justice” in Dambazna, A.B. (2007) Criminal            and Justice. Spectrum Book Ltd: Ibadan.

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