Effectiveness of rehabilitation programmes in the Nigerian Prisons: A study of perception of inmates in Enugu Prison

Abstract

The objective of the study was to find out the prison inmates’ perception of the effectiveness of rehabilitation programmes in the Nigerian prisons service with reference to Enugu prison. The study adopted the cross-sectional survey design. A total of one hundred and forty five (145) inmates comprised the target of the study. Questionnaire was the instrument used for data collection. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), frequency tables and percentages (%) were employed in the data analysis. The result showed that rehabilitation programmes in the prisons have not achieved much. It was also discovered that the duration of service for the inmates does not make the inmates to be actively involved in rehabilitation programmes. Majority of the respondents agreed that lack of fund/inadequate funding was the major hindrance to the programmes. It is recommended that social workers, philanthropists should contribute in ensuring that adequate facilities are provided to enhance the effectiveness of the rehabilitation programmes.