HEALTH PROFILE OF PRISON INMATES IN NIGERIAN PRISON SERVICES

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Despite Nigeria’s progress on
democratic, economic and political reforms, Nigeria’s prisons are yet to make
appreciable impact on the welfare of the inmates. A recurring debate within
contemporary academic circles, criminologists, health workers and prison
experts, is to ensure an appropriate health template for proper prison
administration that will reflect its objectives. Even though crime and other
vices need to be deterred, it should be to the extent that inmates health
should be adequately taken care of during and after imprisonment; it is therefore
needful to be logical and rational in terms of health delivery while in
custody.

Seven years into the new millennium,
health for all prison inmates in Nigeria and many African nations has remained
mirage. Recent assessment of African Prison Health systems indicates a gloomy
picture of weakness in performance (African Regional Health Report, 2006). The
inability to provide quality and equitable access to prison health care
services through much reliance on western health care framework have further widening
the existing health inequalities in many African countries and the Nigerian
prisons in particular. This scenario has also the poor and the rich, urban and
rural dwellers, inmates and the “free” at different axis of the production
spectrum of health care delivery in Nigeria. A good example of this
unfavourable equation becomes obvious when the health of special groups like
the prisoners is critically examined (Health in African Prisons, 1999).
Evidence has linked major determinants of health in modern populations to
socioeconomic, political and cultural factors and as such inequalities in
health have remained problematic across cultures, socio-economic class, gender
or ethnicity (Bambra et al., 2005). In the social sequence of events, prison
inmates are most times from the poorest sectors of the society, and suffer more
from inequitable access to effective health care services. This experience also
exacerbates existing health problems of inmates (de viggiani, 2007). Hence, the
current drive towards realizing the health related millennium development goals
requires more forceful drive from the Nigerian government. Health is political
and the power exercised over it is part of the wider economic, social and
political system (Bambra1, et al., 2005). Thus, achieving both qualitative and
quantitative health among special groups like prison inmates may be far from
realization going by the slow attitude of prison officials and the government
in particular in addressing the health needs of prisoners. Hence, this paper
attempts a sociological discourse of prison health within the social context
producing it. This was done by discussing prison health in Nigeria as a social
product. The paper further suggest plausible model on which optimum prison
health in Nigeria could be realized.

STATEMENT OF THE GENERAL PROBLEM

The unsavory nature of Nigeria prisons
health care system leaves one in doubt, with too many questions and fewer
answers; being that majority of persons become susceptible to diseases and
infections than when they never went behind bars and commit more heineous
crimes. Officers and men of Nigeria prisons epitomize have not taken the health
of prison inmates seriously which many are certainly not satisfied with their
conditions of service delivery health wise. Interestingly, prison still remains
indispensable in correcting, reforming and rehabilitating “perceived convicts”
in Nigeria. It is worrisome that recommendations and suggestions made to
government for prison health reforms are yet to be implemented.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The main objectives of the study are to
examine health care delivery system for inmates of the Nigeria prison. Other
specific objectives of the study include;

1. To
   examine the health condition of prison inmates.
2. To
   assess the environmental condition of Nigeria prisons.
3. To
   assess the benefit to effective health care delivery in Nigeria prisons.
4. To
   examine the Nigerian prison reforms.
5. To
   examine the challenges to achieving an effective health care delivery
   system for prison inmates.
6. To
   recommend ways of improving health care delivery in Nigeria prisons.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1. What
   are the health conditions of prison inmates in Nigeria?
2. What
   are the environmental conditions of Nigeria prisons?
3. What
   is the benefit to effective health care delivery in Nigeria prisons?
4. What
   are the Nigerian prison reforms that would improve health care delivery?
5. What
   are the challenges to achieving an effective health care delivery system
   for prison inmates?
6. What
   are the ways of improving health care delivery in Nigeria prisons?

RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS

H0: There are no challenges to
effective health care system in Nigerian prisons.

H1: There are challenges to effective
health care system in Nigerian prisons.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The study would greatly benefit the
Nigerian prison service and the federal government as it would reveal the
benefits of effective health care system and the challenges of achieving
effective health care system in Nigerian prisons across the country. the study
would also be of immense importance to students, researchers and scholars who
are interested in developing a further study on the subject matter.

SCOPE AND LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

The study is restricted to health care
system delivery system to prison inmates in Nigerian prison using the Nigerian
prison service Ado ekiti, Ekiti state as a case study.

LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

Financial constraint: Insufficient
fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the
relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data
collection (internet, questionnaire and interview)

Time constraint: The
researcher will simultaneously engage in this study with other academic work.
This consequently will cut down on the time devoted for the research work.