I wholeheartedly believe that it benefits society to rehabilitate those who commit crimes and have been adequately punished. It just makes sense right? what's the point of releasing angry "damaged" individuals into society?
We need to remember and accept that prisoners are members of the larger society whose movements have been restricted in mostly deplorable conditions. So prisons, apart from serving as custodians for the convicted should also double as a reformative and rehabilitative centres.
So I'm always encouraged to hear positive news regarding ways forward in the pursuit to rehabilitate these men and woman back into society.
Today, I read that Professor Dibu Ojerinde, (registrar (JAMB), confirmed that a total of 181 prisoners from Kaduna and Ikoyi prisons sat for last weekend's Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
Research has shown that, when properly implemented, work programmes, education and even psychotherapy can ease prisoners' transition to the free world. Even for those "awaiting trial" who may be psychologically healthy individuals but could become traumatised, sadistic or depressed.
Now we need to work on a positive rehabilitation process to help them be productive members of society.
In order to achieve this I really think the prison service should try to do what society failed to do by reforming and rehabilitating, in order to meet this objective , there is need to re-train these inmates.
A prison without rehabilitation is a building that just breeds and festers problems that may do more long term damage both to the individual and to society as a whole.
Apparently the inclusion of these inmates isn't new, JAMB has been allowing prison inmates to sit for entrance examinations since 2009 .
Good on you Nigeria, we are going in the right direction!
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