ARCHITECTURAL CORRECTIONAL CENTRE IN NIGERIA

Awuse Samuel Ndidi¹ & Ferdinand F.O. Daminabo²

¹ Rivers State University; Nkpolu Oroworukwo, Port Harcourt. Rivers State,

² Rivers State University ; Nkpolu, Oroworukwo, Port Harcourt. Rivers State,.

E-mail; isna_dev@yahoo.com,ferdydaminabo@yahoo.com

ABSTRACT

The paper is focused on problems of prisons in Nigeria with emphasis on why inmates are hardened and how they can be rehabilitated and reformed to integrate inmates back to society. Present-day prisons in Nigeria are in a deplorable state and constantly violate the rights of the prisoners. Living conditions are appalling and damaging to the physical and mental well‐being of inmates. Overcrowding, poor sanitation, lack of food and medication, and denial of contact with families and friends mean that conditions fall short of the United Nations standards for the treatment of inmates or prisoners. Overcrowding, is a major issue with the Nigeria Prisons Service, is mainly caused by the high number of inmates who have not been tried by the courts. Though rehabilitation ideals are well embraced by practitioners and policymakers in Nigeria, current efforts to reform and rehabilitate offenders are inadequate. From the findings, overcrowding, inhumane and unsanitary conditions in the Nigeria prisons, there is a call by Human Rights Commission to build more prisons in Nigeria, the aim of establishing prison institution in Nigeria and across the globe is to provide reformation and rehabilitation centers for those who violate the rules and regulations governing their society. Findings from publication, interviews and case study show that the less conducive prison environment the more hardened prisoners become.   In Nigeria, this appears to be the case; this paper is geared towards providing an environment based on the new principle of rehabilitation and reform, which emphasizes rehabilitation, reformation and integration of offenders through academic and vocational programmes planned for the center. A large part of the programmes effectiveness is in the character of the physical environment within which the programme takes place, creating an architecture that gives a sense of freedom within the correctional center while maintaining High security, becomes the main focus of the study.  This paper therefore examines possible ways of: reducing to the barest minimum the negative effects of incarceration by design thus making an important contribution to the solution of prison in the country. The design of this correctional center in Ogbakiri, Rivers State is harness the principle of rehabilitation and reformation of offenders through vocational and academic training, recreation and religious activities while offenders are detained and preventing their escape.

Keyword: Prison, Rehabilitation, Reformation, Crime