#PRISON TO PITCH:

How Can Sports Rehabilitate Child Prisoners In Lagos?

In many parts of the world, the provision of sport and recreation programs to inmates within the prison system provides a unique context to investigate the role of sport in enacting social change. Three main aims of prison-based sport programs have been identified in research: inmate health and wellbeing, inmate rehabilitation, and inmate management. This provides a well rounded solution that can be applied here in Lagos specifically and across different prison systems in Nigeria.

From Their Mouths- Young Inmates Speak

Many young prisoners have lamented on the unjust treatments and conditions that they are exposed to, even hinting that they are sometimes arrested without cause. Just how bad can it get?

What Can Be done Better?

Recently, a bill to reform Nigerian prisons & rehabilitate prisoners passed its second reading. Speaker, house of Assembly, Honorable Idagbo Ochiglegor.

Hon. Ochiglegor speaks on reformation programs that government should adopt

Fact:

Research has shown that sports can, and has increasingly been used as a method of community development and engagement, including programs related to antisocial behavior and crime reduction. This has been done successfully in Singapore.

Success Story

25 March 1995: Mike Tyson leaves the Indiana Youth Centre with Don King after serving a three-year prison sentence for rape.

In 1995, Mike Tyson returned to professional boxing for the first time in over four years, after serving three years in prison for rape. The highly anticipated bout with Peter McNeely his opponent, attracted a $63 million Pay Per View record. Tyson went on to beat this record again in his two fights against Evander Holyfield.

So now we have a kinder, a more gentle, a humbler Mike Tyson, one who finds solace in prayer five times a day. Definitely, sports can be used a reformative tool for child prisoners in Lagos Sate, starting from the bottom all the way up.

Coming home to Africa, in South Africa, inmates like Hendrik Mokgan have had the chance to represent their country in international Sports competitions., the common wealth Games in Manchester, Eugene Frances at the Rugby world cup in Australia, Anton Chassen in Jenkslei and many others. In Nigeria prisons, there are many rehabilitative programs such as Vocational Jobs, Agriculture training received a strong impetus in consonance with the Federal Government policy on re-organization of the prison service in 1971. But what can be done better?

Recommendations

Using Sports as a panacea for rehabilitation of prison’s inmate is therefore important and should be looked into. There is is a strong need to establish and equip different States prison with modern sporting facilities and equipment. Here are some ways this can be achieved.

  1. The officials of the Federal and State Government should provide standard sports programme for prison inmates (especially for child prisoners) in order to enhance their physical, intellectual, emotional and moral well- being development.
  2. In other to promote health status of the prison inmates, the prison inmates should be involved in active participation in recreational activities.
  3. The Federal Government of Nigeria should increase the allocation of budget that will admit the sponsorship of sporting activities for the prison inmates during the period of their jail term.
  4. The State and Federal Government should make provision for sporting materials such as jersey, shirt, pants, soccer boots, etc. This will enhance active participation of prison inmates in sporting program among others. Hence, the #PrisonToPitch program should be actively pursued across Prison systems in Nigeria.
  5. Free medical checkup should be made available for the prison inmates before and after the participation in physical activities.

#PrisonToPitch

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