Kemisola Oye
PRISON Rehabilitation and Welfare Action (PRAWA) has called on the National Assembly to enact a law to back up the reintegration of ex-offenders into society.
PRAWA and the Nigerian Correctional Service are of the view that effective reformation, rehabilitation and reintegration of ex-offenders cannot be achieved through hate and stigmatisation.
The group, in collaboration with the Nigerian Correctional Service, disclosed this at the national webinar celebration of the ‘Yellow Ribbon’ campaign 2023 to sensitise and create awareness that ex-offenders can properly reintegrate back into society.
Executive Director of PRAWA, Dr. Uju Agomoh said ex-offenders deserve a second chance as she noted that there is a need to reform an ex-convict into the society and remove the stigmatisation.
Agomoh said that the motion on the yellow ribbon message is not for the country alone but an international message to reform ex-offenders and what the community can do to assist them.
According to her, “it is important to know that, there are people in custody that are innocent, some who committed a lesser offence to do community service. It is a concept to engage those who are in conflict with the law.
“The notion of Yellow Ribbon is to make the community safer and give a second chance to offenders as well as removing stigmatisation.”
In his remark, M. I Atta, Deputy Controller General of Corrections (DCG ) Non-Custodial, Nigerian Correctional Service, said the programme aims to give hope to the hopeless, called urged PRAWA to sponsor a bill to that effect.
He said stigmatisation affects the reintegration of ex-offenders into society, “a situation where people reject an ex-convict which makes them go back into crime.”
He said aside from skill acquisition in the correctional centres, the organisation also signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Open National University of Nigeria. He thereafter called on stakeholders as well as PRAWA to sponsor a bill on it.
On his part, the Chairman National Parole Board, Retired Justice Sulieman Galadima said the cycle of correction of offenders cannot be complete without a proper programme of getting them settled back into society.
According to him, “Experience has shown that the process of settling back into the society has always been hampered by the attitude of members of the society when they refuse to forgive these ex-offenders, reject, stigmatize and make it difficult for them to find their feet again and provide for themselves.
“The Yellow Ribbon project is a noble initiative because it is targeted at breaking barriers against ex-offenders, it preaches ‘second chance’, ‘non-stigmatization’, unlocking of the ‘Second Prison’ and giving reformed ex-inmates opportunities to thrive. A successfully re-integrated ex-offender can hardly go back to a life of crime and this is to the benefit of our society.
“I consider this webinar a confirmation of the Controller General, and, in fact, all officers of the Correctional Service’ commitment to the new approach of the ‘Service ‘ to Corrections. Leading the Yellow Ribbon initiative and connecting to society on this is one of the ways the Service has shown acknowledgement of the role of every member of society in ensuring proper management of offenders.
“The campaign also supports the deepening of the implementation of the innovative provisions of the Nigerian Correctional Service Act 2019, especially Section 2 (1) (a-d).
“The Yellow Ribbon Campaign speaks directly to the work of Parole Board members. Section 468 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015 and relevant sections of the Laws of the different states of the federation provide that a deserving incarcerated person can be granted early release and Section 40 of the Nigerian Correctional Service Act 2019 empowers the Controller General to appoint Parole Board Members for this purpose.
“The laws provide for early supervised release of offenders on long-term incarceration who are of good behaviour and have learned a skill or acquired education while in custody to enable them to start the process of reintegration back into society.
“As Board members, we are interested in the message of non-stigmatization, second chance and reintegration as this will benefit persons released on parole and other ex-offenders. The National Parole Board members of the 36 states and the FCT therefore stand with the Nigerian Correctional Service on this and are ever ready to support any progressive initiative of the Service.”
Eighteen-Eleven Media