A Philosophical Reflection on Punishment in Nigeria

Abstract

The administration of the criminal justice system in Nigeria is statutorily under the control of the three agents of the justice system, namely: the police, prison and court. Suffice to say, the inhuman treatment of inmates in Nigerian prisons calls for concern. As a matter of fact, the reason for punishing a criminal via the award of punishment, as prescribed by the constitution, is for the said criminal to be rehabilitated morally, psychologically while building capacity in skills acquisition and accessibility to educational development. This is intended with a view to reforming the criminal to turn over a new leaf for subsequent reintegration into the society. However, the intention of sending offenders to prison in Nigeria is solely corrective but in practice it is punitive. This is because the condition inmates are said to be passing through, upon incarceration, is life threatening, denigrating and dehumanizing. Starvation, cruelty, poor health care delivery system, overcrowding and sharp moral practices are commonplace in Nigerian prisons. The condition, there, is harrowing, precarious, excruciating and terrifying. It is in view of the foregoing that punishment becomes a crime against the criminal. The research recommends an all inclusive moral responsibility of agents of the penal policy to the core values of the prison reform system with a view to restoring the lost dignity of criminals during their legal trial processes and upon final incarceration at the Nigerian prisons.