Implication of Long Term Incarceration on the Inmates in Keffi Correctional Centre, State-Nigeria

The importance of criminal justice to the smooth running of any society cannot be over accentuated. Indeed an effective criminal justice system is regarded by many as fundamental to the maintenance of law and order. The paper examines the implication of long term incarceration on the inmates in Keffi Correctional Centre, Nasarawa State-Nigeria. The social survey research design was adopted for this paper. Data were collected using quantitative methods. 84 questionnaires were distributed among long term incarcerated inmates in Keffi Correctional Centre, Nasarawa State-Nigeria, through snowball sampling techniques. Data collected showed that the majority of the inmates in Keffi Correctional Centre were on long incarceration jail term and inmates in the Correctional centre were not classified according to the degree of offenses committed. The paper recommends that there is a need for a total overhaul of the criminal justice system where the police would do a proper investigation of cases with facts and evidence before sending a crime suspect to face on their part need the court for prosecution. The Judges to expedite the trial process to avoid people spending too much time awaiting trial and end up serving more than the sentenced time. The correctional centres their part should perform their constitutional functions effectively for proper rehabilitation and reformation for possible reintegration into the society. Also, the study results showed that inmates in Keffi correctional centre arc not being classified according to the gravity of on their crime.