APPRAISAL OF THE LEGAL FRAMEWORK OF THE NIGERIANCORRECTIONAL SERVICE

Abstract

This paper appraised the legal framework of the Nigerian Correctional Service as an important stakeholder in the Nigerian criminal justice sector. It was driven by the need to draw attention to some of the loopholes in the existing legal framework with a view to bolstering the capacity of the Nigerian Correctional Service for a more robust and efficient service delivery that meets international best practices. Consequently, the paper surveyed some of the major laws and institutions which impact the performance of this Institution. In this direction, the paper analysed laws such as the Nigerian Constitution, the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015, the Nigerian Correctional Service Act 2019, the Criminal Code, the Penal Code, amongst others. It also discussed the Correctional Service as an institution, along with the Borstal Institution, which is its appendage. The paper highlighted some of the challenges of the Nigerian Correctional Service to include over-crowding, jail break, poor medication, finance and logistic challenges, poor administration, amongst others. In conclusion, the paper recommended, among things, the resort to plea-bargain in order to address the challenge of over-crowding, proper rehabilitation and reintegration of inmates, adequate funding of the
Correctional Service, and amendment of some provisions of the law in order to place the Nigerian Correctional Service on a better footing.