Effects of Imprisonment on Inmates of Nigerian Prisons

A prison is supposed to be a place for reformation in behaviour of an individual whose life pattern is not in tandem with accepted norms, values or behaviors in the society or persons who by omission and commission have violated the criminal laws of the land which attract prison terms. The current philosophical trend in prisons operations today is that of the twin concepts of reformation and rehabilitation of inmates. However, the Nigerian prisons instead of fulfilling this primary and manifest objective, they are found to impact negatively in the lives of inmates both while in the prison and after discharge. This paper therefore examines some of these impacts the imprisonment has on the inmate. The paper utilizes secondary data and it recommends, among other things, that the Nigerian correctional institutions should also subscribe to other community correctional measures such as probation and parole so as to reduce the trauma of solitary life of imprisonment. And that adequate provision should be made for proper placement and reintegration of discharged prisons inmates.