TABLE
OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
1.2 Statement of Problem
1.3 Purpose
of the
Study
1.4 Research
Questions
1.5 Research
Hypotheses
1.6 Significance of the Study
1.7
Operational Definition of Terms
CHAPTER
TWO
REVIEW
OF LITERATURE
2.0 Introduction
2.1 The Concept
of Prison
2.2 Historical
Development of Nigeria Prison
2.3
The State Of Nigeria Prison
2.4 Health Issues
in Nigerian Prisons.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND DESIGN
3.1.
Research Design
3.2.
Population of the Study
3.3.
Sample and Sampling Techniques
3.4. Instrument for Data Collection
3.5. Validity of the Instrument
3.6.
Reliability
3.7.
Procedure
3.8. Method of Data
Analysis
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION
CHAPTER FIVE
DISCUSSION ON FINDINGS, AND
RECOMMENDATION
5.0 Introduction
5.1 Discussion on Findings
5.2 Conclusion
5.3 Recommendations
REFERENCES
APPENDIX
CHAPTER
ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Health conditions refer to the health status, health related issues and
situations. In this case, with special reference to inmates who are confined in
the four walls of the prison.
The word health can be used in a number of
ways. In the past health meant only the absence of disease or illness. Today,
health has a broader meaning. Health could be seen generally as a state of an
individual’s well-being. Health is a requirement for living because the
healthier we are the greater our potential for effectiveness. Health enhance our
effectiveness hence the saying that health is wealth. Health is defined as a
state of being physically and mentally healthy. Oxford advanced learners
Dictionary World Health Organization (WHO) defined health as a state of
complete, physical mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of
disease or infirmity.
It means that the body system and its organs
are free from all forms of disease and deformity while maintaining a mentally
sound health. But in a broader form the definition of health includes economic
and spiritual well-being. If this definition is anything to go by, I wonder how
many persons can be declared healthy especially in this part of the world.
Going by the discussion, health condition of
inmates in Nigerian prisons; Who are the inmates? They are persons who are held
by the law of the land in the prisons. Those in detention or incarcerated,
because they deviated from the norms of the land. When caught, are arrested by
the police who charge the deviant to court and are remanded in prison custody
as awaiting trials or sentenced to jail term. If proved guilty by a law court.
History
of Nigeria prison service
Before the advent of the British colonial
rule in Nigeria, there had been some sort of deprivation of liberty as a form
of imprisonment for offence against the community or society. The communities
already have their laid down rules and norms. For example some tribal
communities have their various ways of punishing the deviant members of the
community. The Ogboni house among the Yoruba’s, the Wedos among the Edo served
as prisons, in the north the Fulani’s had similar institutions, the Tivs and
the Igbo equally had their own way.
The origin of modern Nigeria prison service
could be traced to 1861, when the colonial conception of prison was
established. The declaration of Lagos as a colony in 1861 marked the beginning
of formal colonial machinery of governance. It was in Lagos that the first
prison administration designed on British tradition and staffed by officers
trained in same British tradition started, when the then Governor (H.S.
Freeman) in 1862 was commissioned to appoint Judges and other officers, they
saw the need for prisons where persons accused could be kept. Hence in 1872 the
first prison Broad street prison was built to accommodate 300 prisoners. The
prison ordinances allowing for the establishment of prisons was passed in 1876.
By 1910 the colonial government established prisons in Calabar, Onitsha, Benin,
Ibadan, Jebba, Lokoja and Degema.
In the colonial era prisons were not designed
for reformation, but prisoners were mainly used for public works for slavery
and to serve colonial interest of maintaining law and order. Medium security
prison Lagos was built in 1958 at Kirikiri Apapa local government with a
capacity of 705 persons. It has 15 blocks of building. It was however increased to a capacity of 1,700 in
2010 and presently locks about 2,550 inmates.
The Nigerian prisons service (NPS) was
founded as an institution to correct social deviants, punish and reform (F.GN,
1990). The main aim of establishing the prison institution is to provide for
reformation and rehabilitation for those who violated the rules and regulations
of their society.
The living conditions in Nigeria prisons are
appalling and damaging. Inmates are forced to survive in the worst living
conditions such as poor sanitation, lack of adequate balanced diet, medication,
overcrowding poor clothing and lack of regular visits by family and friends.
In recent times, there has been a marked
increase in the number of prisoners in many countries around the world.
According to the world prison population
list, prison populations have increased by 73% over a relative short period of
time (Walmsley, 2007) as is obtainable in any problems confronting inmates living
in prisons all over the world as a result of congestion. These health problems
include physical, mental and psychological illnesses. Prisons are not closed
off world, many people (Prison staff, lawyers, social workers, health
personnel, the clergy and prisoners family members) entering and leaving prison
every day. Many prisoners themselves stay only a short period in prison and
return to their families. It is estimated that although the worldwide prison
population is over 9 million, the annual turnover is closer to 30 million
(Walmsley, 2007). This high movement of people into and out of prisons make the
possibility of infections acquired in prison transmitted outside prison very
high (Simooya, 2010). In spite of this, gap still exist globally in the
provision of health care to prisoners especially with respect to sexually
transmitted infections (STIs) HIV and other blood borne infections (Long et al,
2001; Kmietowicz 2001). It has been documented that communicable diseases such
as HIV, tuberculosis and hepatitis are more prevalent in prison service
inclusive. The Nigeria prisons service (NPS) was founded as an institution to
correct social deviants, punish and reform criminals and to complement the
processes of legal adjudication and law enforcement (Federal Government of
Nigeria, 1990) Nigeria prisons is headed by a Controller General of prisons
with six Directorate to manage the various units of prisons, this includes
directorate of medical health and social welfare services , whose duty among
others includes administration of prison clinics and hospitals with its
complement of Doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and para-medics.
The directorate ensures all year-round
renditions of medical services to inmates in all the prisons nation-wide. To
meet these needs, the Nigeria prison in the year 2001 commissioned a 20 bed
prison hospitals in Bauchi and Ilesha prison to add to the existing ones in
Lagos and Kaduna. (The reformer 2002) to compliment these hospitals are clinics
in the entire prisons establishment. The medical and welfare directorate also
develops and implement new strategies for confronting changing faces of disease
control and management. To this it introduced drug compounding project in the
federal capital designed to produce drugs that will support the clinics and
hospital network in the prison system.
1.2 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
In Nigeria just like many other parts of the
world, there is an alarming increase in crime rate with the resultant increase
in prison population. This situation has an adverse health implication on the
inmates due to congestion. Government on their part are not doing enough to
contain this situation, the elite and the rich in the society see no need to
come to the aid of this neglected and rejected group. Hence even the state
government has no provision in its state owned hospitals to exclude the inmates
from hospital bills.
This study therefore takes a critical
assessment of the health conditions, of prison inmates in Nigerian Prison:
Services.
1.3 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
The
purpose of the study is to:
1.
Examine the health status of prison inmates
in the Nigerian prison Services
2.
Assess the living conditions of prison
inmates in the Nigeria prison Services
3.
Highlight the role of government in ensuring
that Nigerian prisons are properly taken care of
4.
Examine the impact of prison warders on the
health condition of prison-inmates
5.
To assess the ways in which the prison
inmates can contribute to the economic and social development-of the country
after custody.
1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
The
following research-questions were generated to guide the study:
·
What are the predominant health issues in
Nigerian prisons?
·
Does the condition of prison affect the
health of prison inmates
·
Can the health condition of prison inmates
determine their productivity after prison?
1.5 RESEARCH HYPOTHESES
The-following hypotheses
were, tested in the study;'
There
is no significant relationship between condition of prison and health condition
of prison inmates in Nigeria
2.
There is no significant relationship between the attitude of prison warders and
health condition of prison inmates
3. There
is no significant relationship between the health condition of prison inmates
and their productivity after custody.
4. There is no significant relationship between
government intervention and prison condition in Nigeria.
1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
The
study when completed will benefit the country in the following ways:
The
government through this study 'will be acquainted with the Knowledge of the
condition of prison inmates in Nigeria as this will make it see the need to
provide adequate health facilities and competent trained health personnel to
Nigerian Prison Service.
The
Nigeria Prison Service will through this study intensify their efforts towards
ensuring that the prisons are properly maintained; and are in good sanitary
conditions so as to prevent constant outbreak of diseases in the prison.
The general public will be
enlightened on the need to accommodate prison inmates as part of the society
even though their lives are regimented. This will enable them come out as
better and productive individuals in the society.
1.7 OPERATIONAL
DEFINITION OF TERMS
Inmates:
persons
confined in a prison.
Prison:
an
institution as one under state jurisdiction for confinement of persons
convicted of serious crimes
Warden: an official in charge of
the operation of a prison
Incarceration:
to put
in prison
Violation:
the
act of breaking the law
Deviants:
those
who deviate from an accepted norm or behavior
Rehabilitation:
to
restore or bring an individual to a condition of health or useful and
constructive activity in the society
Infections:
diseases
resulting from contaminations
Tuberculosis:
'a
highly variable communicable disease of humans that is characterized by fever,
cough, difficulty in breathing
Hepatitis:
a
disease or condition (as hepatitis A, or hepatitis B) marked by .inflammation
of the-liver
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