Non-profit organization, CLEEN Foundation has called for significant reforms to Nigeria’s parole system describing the current one as unfit for purpose.
The organisation made the call through its Programme Director, Salaudeen Hashim, at the presentation of a policy brief titled “A Parole System Not Fit for Purpose” held in Lagos.
Highlighting critical gaps and challenges within the current legal framework, CLEEN Foundation offered recommendations to enhance the effectiveness and fairness of the parole process in Nigeria.
VOM News reports that parole was introduced into the Nigerian penal system with the enactment of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015. Before this, early release of inmates was only possible through state pardon by the President of the country, a state governor, or the Chief Judge during the celebration of a legal year.
With the introduction of the ACJA, courts were empowered to release inmates on parole based on the recommendation of the Comptroller-General of the Nigerian Correctional Service.
However, the inmates, the law stated, must exhibit good behaviour and would have served their non-parole periods in order to qualify.
This provision, according to CLEEN FOUNDATION, was ambiguous as it did not define the non-parole period which has resulted in its politicization as a result of a lack of standardized criteria for parole eligibility, and unclear roles of stakeholders.
To address these issues, CLEEN Foundation organized a two-day Performance Appraisal Workshop across eight states, under its MacArthur Foundation project. The workshop brought together key stakeholders to evaluate the parole system’s legal framework and identify areas for improvement.
“The appraisal highlighted several critical issues: In the South-South Region (Cross River, Delta, Edo), financial and oversight limitations for the parole board, discrepancies between parole laws and the ACJA, and a lack of public awareness were noted.
Recommendations included independent surveys of inmates and correctional officers; increased advocacy, and harmonization of parole laws.
“In the North-West Region (Katsina, Jigawa, Sokoto), ambiguity in the ACJA regarding the minimum period for parole eligibility, lack of medical parole provisions, and inefficiencies in parole board operations were identified.
Recommendations included leveraging technology for supervision and establishing a digital case management system.
“In the North-Central and East Region (Kwara, Bauchi), lack of work plans for parole boards and threats to security officers from released inmates were highlighted. Recommendations included revocation of parole for non-compliant inmates and creation of monitoring committees.
“The policy brief outlines several key recommendations: comprehensive legal reforms to align the legal framework governing parole with international best practices and human rights standards, enhancing transparency in the parole process by publishing criteria and decisions, strengthening rehabilitation programmes to better prepare inmates for reintegration, using the parole system to alleviate prison overcrowding, developing robust post-release monitoring and support systems to reduce reoffending, and streamlining judicial processes to ensure timely parole reviews and decisions” it said.
The CLEEN Foundation urged the Nigerian government and relevant stakeholders to undertake these reforms to create a more effective and fair parole system. The organisation emphasized that improving the parole system will not only enhance the rehabilitation and reintegration of inmates but also contribute to public safety and trust in the justice system.