Former Kaduna Central Senator, Shehu Sani, has said prisons should not be viewed primarily as places of punishment, but as correctional centres where inmates are given opportunities to reform, build character and prepare for reintegration into society.
Represented by Malam Nasiru Abbas at the 1st Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) Security, Welfare Agenda (SWAC) Conference Graduation Ceremony in Kaduna, he said imprisonment should provide people with an opportunity to reflect on their lives and correct their mistakes.
He said his personal experience of incarceration had given him a deeper understanding of prison life, noting that he had been held at Kaduna Prison and other correctional facilities.
According to him, his experience was one of the reasons he attached importance to the occasion and would have attended personally but for an engagement that came up unexpectedly.
Sani said many people had never visited a prison or even seen a police cell, making it difficult for them to understand the purpose of correctional institutions.
“A correctional centre is also a place where people are given the opportunity to reflect on their lives and correct their mistakes,” he said.
“Being in prison does not automatically mean that someone is dangerous or evil in society. It can also be a place where people are given an opportunity to learn, reform and prepare themselves for a better life,” he added.
The former senator said correctional centres should help inmates develop the capacity to withstand challenges, endure difficult circumstances and view life from a better perspective.