NCoS Emphasises Education, Vocational Skills for Inmates’ Reintegration, Self-Reliance

The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) has stressed the need for education and vocational skills in preparing inmates for self-reliance and successful reintegration into society.

The Controller of Corrections, FCT Command, Christopher Peter-Jen, said this at a debate competition organised for inmates of the Medium Security Custodial Centre, Kuje, Abuja, on Thursday.

The debate, with the theme, “Education or Vocational Skills: Which Is More Important in Preparing Inmates for Life After Release?”, was organised in partnership with some non-governmental organisations.

Peter-Jen said the programme was designed to encourage inmates to take advantage of available opportunities to develop themselves before their release.

He said the initiative would help inmates become self-reliant, avoid dependency, as well as acquire the capacity to become employers of labour.

The controller urged inmates to make effective use of their time in custody by embracing opportunities that would prepare them for productive lives after release.

Earlier, the Officer-in-Charge of the facility, Assistant Controller of Corrections Adekunbi Sunday, stressed the need to equip inmates with education and vocational skills to facilitate their reintegration.

“Custody without training is punishment, while training transforms custody into correction.

“An idle mind inside custody becomes a criminal mind outside custody,” he said.

Sunday listed tiling, barbing, shoemaking, information and communication technology, tailoring and farming among the vocational skills available to help inmates become productive after release.

He pledged continued collaboration with non-governmental organisations willing to support the rehabilitation and welfare of inmates.

Also speaking, a retired Assistant Controller-General of Corrections, Aken Ekijere, identified discharge from custody as a critical phase in an inmate’s life.

Ekijere cited family rejection, business failure and societal stigmatisation as challenges that could undermine the reintegration of former inmates.

He urged the inmates not to allow incarceration to destroy their ambitions, stressing that their present circumstances should not prevent them from pursuing their aspirations.

Ekijere also called on non-governmental organisations to partner with the NCoS to strengthen rehabilitation and reintegration programmes.

NAN reports that the debate featured two teams arguing for education and vocational skills as the more effective means of preparing inmates for life after release.

Team A, which supported education, argued that it broadened inmates’ knowledge of the law, improved their reasoning and encouraged positive behavioural change.

The team said education could also prepare inmates for better opportunities after release, citing former South African President Nelson Mandela’s experience in prison and his commitment to learning and the struggle against apartheid.

Team B, which advocated vocational skills, argued that skills acquisition promoted self-reliance, entrepreneurship and job creation, thereby reducing dependence on government employment.

The team cited China’s industrial development as an example of the importance of practical skills and maintained that vocational training could empower individuals to become self-employed.

It also argued that unemployment among educated people could contribute to crime, while practical skills could help address the challenge.

Announcing the results, the Chairman of the Debate Committee, CSC Kelvin Abuchi, commended both teams for their performances.

Abuchi said it was difficult to select a winner because both teams had presented strong arguments.

He, however, announced that Team A scored 76.4 per cent, while Team B scored 88.8 per cent, declaring the latter the winner.

The event featured awards to outstanding participants and members of the winning team.

An award was also presented by the officer-in-charge to the cleanest custodial unit to encourage hygiene among inmates.

The programme was organised in partnership with Legend Golden Care Foundation, Teaming Wonders, Ocean Wealth Homes, New Dawn for Women and Community Initiatives, and the Nigerian Bar Association, Unity Branch. (NAN)