Keywords
correctional service
inmates
conjugal visit
How to Cite
Abstract
Globally, countries have continued to commit fiscal and policy attention to improving correctional facilities and inmates’ welfare. While Nigeria’s documented efforts through the 2019 Correctional Service Act are noteworthy, it has been observed that the physiological needs and welfare of inmates are still lacking, leading to delinquent behaviors among female inmates. The paper aims to identify the unmet needs of female inmates in the Nigerian Correctional Service and assess how their rights to spousal conjugal visits can positively impact their character and self-fulfillment. The study adopted a qualitative desk research methodology using published journals, selected case studies, web-based sources, and magazines. Social bond theory and strain theory were used as the explanatory framework for analysis. The research found that many documented dissident and unlawful behaviors among female inmates are responses to unmet needs for spousal love and emotional support from their families. It concludes that, in addition to fiscal investment in security measures aimed at reducing crime and improving correctional infrastructure, greater attention should be paid to addressing inmates’ emotional and social needs. The paper recommends a review of the 2019 Nigerian Correctional Service Act to include the right of female inmates to spousal conjugal visits, the inauguration of an ad hoc committee to study implementation strategies for female inmates’ conjugal visitation rights as practiced in other countries, and infrastructural upgrades to facilitate such visits.
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