NIGERIAN PRISONS AND HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES: A CASE STUDY OF JOS AND PANKSHIN PRISONS (1999-2009)
NIGERIAN PRISONS AND HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES: A CASE STUDY OF JOS AND PANKSHIN PRISONS (1999-2009)
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Date
2011-05
Authors
REGEH, JOHN MICHAEL
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Abstract
Prisons have always been considered as rehabilitative and reformation centers. However in
reality as a result of abuses of prisoners' rights and other factors this may not be possible. It may
become a breeding ground for future criminals. Though prisoners are incarcerated, but that does
not mean that they should be open to abuse. They are human beings like any other, who are also
protected by the constitution of Nigeria and other international instruments of the United
Nations. Against this background, this study attempted to empirically examine the extent to
which the prisoner's rights are being abused or violated with Jos and Pankshin prisons as case
study. Prisoner's Rights theory became central in the discussion, of which the focus is the
prisoner's status.A penal policy based on prisoners' rights theory is one which respects the
prisoner's inherent dignity as a person. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected through
the use of questionnaire; key informants interviewed and examination of some books and
documents. Also the analysis of data was through the combination of quantitative and qualitative
analysis. The result of the data analysis showed that the respondents varied in socio-demographic
characteristics such as age, economic background, offence committed, etc. Further result of the
substantive data showed that there is a serious human rights abuse of prisoners in both Jos and
Pankshin due largely to lack of implementation of United Nations minimum standard rules for
the protection of prisoners and other instruments. It has been established by this study that many
prisoners were unfairly incarcerated due to the fact that they had no legal representation.
Jos(57.5%) and Pankshin(76%)had no lawyer during trial. And many prisoners in Jos(57%) and
Pankshin(40%) experienced torture and the common torture was beating. Finally, it was
discovered that most respondents considered the condition in the prisons to be very terrible and
there has not been any improvement in the facilities in the recent times. On the basis of the
findings, the study recommended that the issue of prisoner's rights must be taken seriously by
observing the UN Minimum Standard Rules for the protection of prisoners and other similar
instruments in order to achieve the objective for which the prisoners were establish
Description
A Thesis Submitted to the Postgraduate School, Ahmadu Bello University,
Zaria, Nigeria,
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of Maste r of Science
(M.Sc) Degree in Political Science,
Department of Political Science, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria
Keywords
NIGERIAN PRISON,, HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES