By Ogonna Okeke
Program Officer Legal – Social Justice & Prison Welfare at LGCF
Correctional centers previously known as prisons in the Nigerian context are not just meant to punish inmates but also reform and rehabilitate them, teaching them to reintegrate and be lawful citizens when released. The major reason behind the establishment of any prison in any part of the country is not just to punish but also to provide rehabilitative and reformatory facilities for those who have violated the rules and regulations of their society. This is not often the case as a high percentage of people after being incarcerated for a while relapse and turn back to crime. This is what is meant by Recidivism.
Recidivism is generally used to describe a repetitious criminal activity or behavior and a recidivist offender is an individual who repeatedly engages in criminal acts. It refers to a person’s relapse into criminal behavior, often after the person receives sanctions or undergoes intervention for a previous crime. A lot of criminals upon release are rearrested within a few years of release. While recidivism is a global issue, it is reported that there is a rise in Nigeria as the prison system is witnessing an enormous increase in people relapsing into criminality. Statistics from Nigerian prisons shows that over 60% of inmates are recidivists.
Generally, recidivism is attributed to a plethora of factors, which includes; Discrimination by the society as released offenders often suffer a lot of stigmatizations in the society. The attitude of the society towards them is usually not welcoming, so re-entry into the society becomes an issue as even employers may not want to recruit ex-convicts. There is also the issue of lack of reintegration programs, as the correctional facilities do not provide quality reintegration programs that prepare inmates to reenter the society. Inmates who are away for a long time often have no idea on how to blend back into the society and a lot become institutionalized and more comfortable with the prison system. One other factor is the unemployability of ex-convicts. A lot of inmates are discharged without any form of skills or educational qualification, leaving them unemployable. More often than not they resort back to crimes upon release as that might be the only thing they are familiar with. Lack of employment also is a factor, as sometimes even when an ex-convict is suitable for a job, employers are not usually open to employ them due to the stigma that comes with incarceration. Unaddressed mental issues by ushering demoralized people back into society can lead to recidivism. Without programs to support them psychologically, socially, and physically and motivate inmates while in prison, they may be released seriously demoralized without any idea of how to support and fend for themselves. Drug abuse and peer pressure are also contributing factors as most criminals upon release are likely to move back to old environments and friends that might have led them to crime and so starts a cycle of reoffending.
Recidivism poses a serious challenge to not just the individual concerned but also the society at large. Therefore, it is very necessary to look into ways to curb it.
Firstly, the issue of mental health should be taken seriously, professional counseling and guidance should be provided for inmates, and they should be mentally, psychologically, and socially prepared for the outside world. Reintegration programs that focus on skill acquisition and educational certification should be adopted to equip inmates with the skills and certifications they may require to be gainfully employed when they leave prison.
Government should come up with policies and programs that aid ex-convicts, especially with employment and income to keep themselves busy and useful upon release. Government agencies and initiatives can be set up to employ and absorb qualified ex-convicts, making it easy for them to earn an income upon release. This would in turn spur other organizations to do so. Sensitization programs to educate the public and change the stereotypes and stigmatization of ex-convicts and make society more open to them should be encouraged. After incarceration programs like the parole system should also be introduced as this helps the ex-convicts remain accountable and can deter them from crime.
Leaving the prison wall should offer a fresh start to incarcerated people, although reintegration can be overwhelming and hard, as a society we should all work together to accept and adopt ex-convicts and ultimately reduce recidivism.