NGO, correctional services, collaborate to advance implementation of Non-Custodial measures
By Abiodun Abegunde
Prisoners’ Rehabilitation and Welfare Action (PRAWA), a Non Governmental Organisation (NGO), on Thursday in Lagos, commenced a two-day training for officers of the Nigerian Correctional Services (NCoS).
The training with funding from the Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (RoLAC ) is with the theme: “Strengthening the Capacity of Correctional Officers Towards Advancing the Implementation of Non-Custodial Measures”.
Speaking at the opening of the training, Dr Uju Agomoh, President, PRAWA, said the focus of the NGO was on issues bordering on justice sector reforms, adding that the organisation had done quite a lot around correctional services.
She said that the training would look at challenges such as over crowding in custodian centres among other problems.
She noted that participants of the training were officers from the correctional services, working in the community sector called non-custodial.
“The Nigerian Correctional Services should encourage every step they need to take to ensure they give support to the non custodial directorate as a unit of the NCoS.
In her remarks, Ijimakinwa Ajibola, State Project Coordinator, RoLAC, Lagos, said that during the first phase of the programme which ended in 2023, the organisation supported PRAWA to implement non custodial solutions in the NCoS.
Ijimakinwa said that this second round of funding to PRAWA, was about advancing the implementation.
“As we know, community service has been entrenched in most of our states, there are still some other measures and solutions that have yet to be advanced like parole, suspended sentencing, restorative justice and probation.
“The essence of the support is to ensure that other non custodial measures are implemented in all our focal states which are Anambra, Edo, Pleatue, Abia, and Lagos.
“PRAWA has been a CSO on ground that has done the ground work as per ensuring that the Act was passed in 2019, so of course it is important that they are part of the implementation process” she said.
Similarly, the state Controller, Nigerian Correctional Service, Lagos Command, George Daramola, said in 2019, NCoS was restructured into two distinct entities; Custodial and Non-Custodial Services.
Daramola said that the establishment of Non-Custodial service was a strategic decision aimed at decongesting custodial centers while ensuring that offenders receive appropriate interventions to aid their rehabilitation and reintegration into society.
He said that NCoS was particularly happy about enhancing the understanding of the Nigerian Correctional Service Act, 2019 and exploring effective ways to incorporate non-custodial measures into the nation’s justice system.
He added that the focal points of the training; community service, restorative justice, parole, probation and other non-custodial solutions were integral to the ongoing reform efforts within correctional framework.
The controller said that critical discussion surrounding the reduction of overcrowding, as well as the reformation, rehabilitation and reintegration of offenders were of paramount important to NCS.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Deborah Coker
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