INTRODUCTION

1.1   Background to the Study

       Prison is an institution designed to securely house people who have been convicted of crime or are on awaiting trial. These individuals known as prisoners or inmates are kept in continuous custody on a short or long-term basis. Individuals who commit the most heinous crime are sent to prison for more years, the more serious the offence ,the longer the prison term imposed (Microsoft Encarta 2008).

      Also according to McCorkle and Korn (1970)., Prison can be defined  as a physical structures in a geographical location, where a number of people living under highly specialized condition utilize the resources and adjust to the alternatives presented to them by a unique kind of social environment.

A prison is seen as a total institution or a place of residence  and work  where a large number of  like situated individuals are cut off from the wider society for appreciable period of time together lead and enforce formally administered round of life.

      Adelola, (1982), opined that the physical appearance of prison is of  tall wall supplanted with barbwires an iron gates antiquated buildings separated

Prisons from its larger community outside. These isolated structures according to him are meant to accomplish the confinement aspect. While confinement is made to detach the prisoners from his previous infectious groups, this new, environment is expected to provide the prisoner with particular opportunities of rethinking, stock taking and repentance from old ways.

         Historically, this type of punishment for crime had been determined by economic and political relationship rather than by the public police or any Penological theory. In early English or German law, a system of adjusting  wrongs and injuries existed. where by the offender was  able to buy off the vengeance against him and his kin by compensation, fines, mutilation, banishment ,enslavement and death were other types of  punishment for offenders, Long-term imprisonment was virtually unknown until modern times. In ancient Greece and Rome for example, Mamertine  prison, constructed in Rome in the  17th century B.C, consisted of  a vast network of dungeons under the cities main sewer (Morris 1978: 475). These subterranean laws held political dissident and criminals for periods of time in cramped, miserable conditions. However, the  practice of confining wrong doers for long period as in form of punishment was not wide spread until after 15th century (Microsoft Encarta, 2010).

    More so, imprisonment as a form of punishment of offenders was not known to many pre- colonial communities in African. There were traditional institutions in Nigeria that served as prison before British rule. For example, the  ‘‘Evedo” of  Edo group and  “Ogboni” of  Yoruba  group houses respectively were all places for keeping those put away for some time while other forms existed among the Fulanis and Tivs  (Akeredulo Ale 1979:156)

        Rehabilitation according to oxford advanced learner’s dictionary means to help some body returned to a normal life or therapy.

       Rehabilitation  penology was said to have developed at the  beginning of the 20th century in England (Carten and Cook,1989). It was more concern with the criminal than mere punishment. In other words, an individual sentencing was aimed at removing the causes of his criminal behavior (Tamerbraun 19780.

         Prison goals as laid down in the Nigerian Prison training manual state that prison service establishment, are based on the custodial and rehabilitative roles of prison of prison institutions usually, the resettlements of discharging  prisoners into purposeful, meaningful community life is the major role and aim of the Nigerian prison. Accordingly, prison education and vocational training programmes have been at the centre of the process adopted by the institutions in the realization of these goals. One hidden agenda of  imprisonment has been to punish criminals for their crime and to deter offenders  from committing crime. The way prisoners perceive the objectives of imprisonment, it is assumed will affect their responsiveness to prison  rehabilitation programmes, especially vocational training. But up till date  this continues  to be the  ideal picture of  Nigerian  prison and other prisons world wide.

           According to Awake (2005), there are four reasons why law  breakers are put in prison to punish the offender. To rehabilitate the criminal, teaching him or her to be law abiding and productive after release , to protect the  society and prevent future crimes has been the  ideal role of Nigeria prisons.

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