Shehu Sani: Prison is not for punishment but reformation

Former Kaduna Central senator Shehu Sani has argued that prisons should be seen as correctional centers, not solely as places of punishment, according to a report from the 1st Nigerian Correctional Service Security, Welfare Agenda (SWAC) Conference Graduation Ceremony in Kaduna. Sani, speaking through his representative Nasiru Abbas, emphasized that incarceration should offer inmates the chance to reflect on their lives, correct their mistakes, and prepare for reintegration into society.

He shared his own experience of being held at Kaduna Prison and other correctional facilities, crediting it for deepening his understanding of prison life. Sani lamented that many people have never visited a prison or seen a police cell, making it hard for them to grasp the purpose of correctional institutions. He stressed that being incarcerated does not automatically make a person dangerous or evil.

Instead, correctional centers should provide inmates with opportunities to learn, reform, and prepare for a better life. Sani also commended the Commandant of the Correctional Training School, Remond Yohana Jatau, for organizing the event which gathered 275 correctional officers across Nigeria. Jatau highlighted that the 2019 Correctional Service Act has shifted the focus from punishment to correction, rehabilitation, and reintegration.

He urged correctional officers to focus on making inmates useful members of society rather than viewing incarceration as an end in itself. Jatau also emphasized the vital role of welfare officers in addressing inmates' social and other needs. Rabiatu Ibrahim Abdullahi, a representative of the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria in Kaduna, called for reforms to enhance the capacity of correctional officers and improve the reintegration of released inmates.

She advocated for upgrading the Correctional Training School into a degree-awarding institution and the restoration of separate welfare and inspectorate directorates. Abdullahi also stressed the importance of establishing halfway homes for released inmates, providing them with shelter, counseling, and vocational support before fully reintegrating into society.