A two-day Performance Appraisal Workshop on the Legal Framework on Parole and the Administration of Criminal Justice Law in Nigeria has been concluded on Wednesday in Katsina State, with stakeholders seeking effective implementation of the parole system.
With the implementation of the parole system, inmates can be released from custodial correctional centres before the expiration of their terms of imprisonment under certain conditions.
According to the stakeholders, implementation of the parole system will go a long way in not only addressing prison decongestion, but also reducing incessant prison breaks.
The workshop coordinated by the CLEEN Foundation with support from the MacArthur Foundation, brought together stakeholders from the government, civil society and media to examine and chart a cause on the subject matter.
It was also to examine the provisions of the ACJA/L on parole and its administration in Katsina State and Nigeria, to ascertain gaps, recommendations for improvement and compliance level.
Although the early release of inmates before the expiration of their terms of imprisonment is not a new phenomenon in Nigeria, the workshop was considered against the background that the parole system was not recognised in the Nigerian criminal justice system until recently.
However, while good behaviour and sometimes poor medical conditions are often cited as reasons for granting pardons to inmates, the action is often based on political considerations.
In an interview with the Program Director for the CLEEN Foundation, Salaudeen Hashim decried the high level of congestion of prison facilities in the country which he said, is part of the ongoing reform that the administration of the criminal justice regime has recommended.
