The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) has called for stronger support from courts, civil society organisations and other stakeholders to expand the use and effective implementation of non-custodial measures in Lagos State.
The call was made on Tuesday at a one-day sensitisation workshop on non-custodial measures for civil society organisations and stakeholders in Lagos, organised by the Prisoners Rehabilitation and Welfare Action (PRAWA), in partnership with the NCoS and with support from the Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (RoLAC) programme.
Representing George Daramola, controller of Lagos State Command, a senior NCoS official said the introduction of non-custodial measures under the Nigerian Correctional Service Act 2019 had expanded the agency’s mandate beyond incarceration.
The measures include community service, probation, parole, restorative justice and other sanctions ordered by courts.
Victoria Dare, deputy controller of Corrections, Non-Custodial, NCoS Lagos State Command, said the shift was intended to move the justice system away from a predominantly punitive approach towards rehabilitation and reintegration.
‘Non-custodial measures added to the mandate of the Nigerian Correctional Service in 2019, through the Nigerian Correctional Service Act 2019. It’s an additional mandate given to the Nigerian Correctional Service,’ she said.
Dare said the objective was to find ways of managing offenders that could produce better outcomes than simply keeping them in correctional facilities.
‘It’s just to look at the various ways that we can manage an offender and get that actual results. Not only to keep people in a place where results cannot be achieved,’ she said.
She said non-custodial measures could also help address congestion in correctional facilities while supporting the rehabilitation of offenders.
‘Both laws recognise that not every offender needs to be sent to prison,’ Dare said.
Under community service, offenders are assigned unpaid work for the benefit of the community, with NCoS officers responsible for supervision and reporting to the courts. Dare said the service currently has placement centres in Lagos where offenders carry out community service.
The NCoS official, however, identified inadequate operational resources as a major constraint to effective implementation in Lagos.
She said the non-custodial unit needed working tools for offenders, including brooms, rakes, cutlasses, hoes and mopping sticks, as well as office equipment, furniture and logistics vehicles.
Jennifer Madu, representing PRAWA in Lagos, said the organisation’s Non-Custodial Solutions Project, supported by RoLAC and International IDEA, was aimed at promoting a more equitable and effective justice system by reducing over-reliance on incarceration.
She also disclosed that advocacy by PRAWA had contributed to the establishment of parole boards in at least eight states, with persons recently released on parole in Edo and Abia states.
According to Madu, the project also provides support for offenders after release, including starter packs, skills training and assistance to existing businesses to facilitate reintegration.
‘We’re also looking to see improved access to justice and reduction in custodial sentences and finally we are looking to empower offenders for effective reintegration,’ she said.
The workshop sought to increase awareness among stakeholders on the legal framework and practical application of non-custodial measures while strengthening collaboration among the NCoS, courts, civil society organisations and other justice-sector institutions.