My name is Eze-Eke Oluchi Faithfulness.I am a 400 level law student from ABSU LAW CLINIC
Law Clinic whose major goal is to provide free legal
services to the indigent members of the society and has been keeping to
its goal and aim from its inception.It is in line with this that the
ABSU LAW CLINIC Umuahia Prisons Department paid an advocacy visit to the
Deputy Comptroller Prisons and his officials.
We were warmly received and in the course of our interaction with them,he emphasized on the need for the decongestion of the prison which has a capacity of 500 but held1,034 inmates as at then and urged us to help in the decongestion of the prison by aiding in the release of inmates genuinely.Another point hr laid emphasis on,was the issue of pregnant women who had their babies in the prison custody and such children who are just victims of the circumstance they find themselves in,are made to spend their infant stage in custody as it is unwise to separate them at such stage from their mothers and this tends to make them prone to poor hygiene and picking up ugly habits.He also made mention of the inadequate funding of the prison and how some of this expenses are borne by the officials from their personal pockets.Finally,he briefly stated that some inmates haven't been looked into because their case files are missing and this has lengthened their stay in prison.
We were warmly received and in the course of our interaction with them,he emphasized on the need for the decongestion of the prison which has a capacity of 500 but held1,034 inmates as at then and urged us to help in the decongestion of the prison by aiding in the release of inmates genuinely.Another point hr laid emphasis on,was the issue of pregnant women who had their babies in the prison custody and such children who are just victims of the circumstance they find themselves in,are made to spend their infant stage in custody as it is unwise to separate them at such stage from their mothers and this tends to make them prone to poor hygiene and picking up ugly habits.He also made mention of the inadequate funding of the prison and how some of this expenses are borne by the officials from their personal pockets.Finally,he briefly stated that some inmates haven't been looked into because their case files are missing and this has lengthened their stay in prison.
My reflection:Why should a pregnant woman be made to stay under the same conditions as those who are not?
Is it not possible to separate her from the general prison custody of female inmates till she has given birth and weaned the child?
Why and how can case files disappear without any trace and in whose custody is this supposed to be in?
Is it not possible to separate her from the general prison custody of female inmates till she has given birth and weaned the child?
Why and how can case files disappear without any trace and in whose custody is this supposed to be in?
I believe that it is only normal and wise for a pregnant
woman to be 'quarantined' during the course of the pregnancy and breast
feeding as pregnancy comes with a lot of complications and a child is
meant to receive very good health care facilities for its sustenance.
I also believe that the inefficient system of things in our country can be the only explainable reason to the loss of inmates case files and steps to the retrieval or opening of another case file for such inmates should be taken immediately.
I also believe that the inefficient system of things in our country can be the only explainable reason to the loss of inmates case files and steps to the retrieval or opening of another case file for such inmates should be taken immediately.
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