Unmet Needs of Female Inmates in the Nigerian Correctional Service and Advocacy for Conjugal Visits
Unmet Needs of Female Inmates in the Nigerian Correctional Service and Advocacy for Conjugal Visits

Summary/Abstract: Globally, countries have continued to commit fiscal and policy attention to improving correctional facilities and the inmates' welfare. While the Nigeria's documented efforts through the 2019 Correctional Service Act is noteworthy, it has been observed that the physiological needs of inmates and welfare are still lacking, leading to delinquent behaviors among female inmates. The paper is aims at identify the unmet needs of female inmates in the Nigerian Correctional Service and assess how their rights to spousal conjugal visit can positively impact their character and self-fulfillments. The study adopted a desk qualitative methodology with published journals, selected case study, web-based sources and magazines. The social bond and strains theories were used as explanatory framework of analysis. Through the research, it was found that many documented dissident and outlaw behavior of female inmates are response to unmet needs to spousal love and emotional supports from family. It concludes that aside fiscal investment in security hardware measures to reduce crime and improving infrastructural facilities at correctional centres, strategic attention to the emotional and sexual needs of the inmates is urgent to improve the behavior of the inmates. The paper recommends for a review of the 2019 Nigerian Correctional Service Act to include the right of female inmates to spousal conjugal visit; inauguration of adhoc committee to understudy implementation strategy of female inmates' right to conjugal visits as legalised in other countries and infrastructural upgrade through ministry of interior to accommodate for spousal privacy and intimacy among others.

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