Benin: No fewer than 30 inmates have been profiled for parole as part of efforts to decongest the facilities in the Correctional Command in Edo.
The Controller of Correctional Facilities in Edo, Mr Sunday Oyakhire, disclosed this on Tuesday at a roundtable of stakeholders meeting on Non-Custodial Measures (NCM)in Benin.
The event was organised by the Prisons Rehabilitation and Welfare Action (PRAWA).
The Controller, represented by Ikpea Jonathan, Deputy Controller of Corrections in charge of Non-Custodial, stated that they had visited two of their Centres, where they sensitised the inmates on the need to embrace parole.
This was with the aim of rehabilitating and reintegrating them into society.
Parole is a conditional release of a prisoner serving an indeterminate or unexpired sentence.
“On the 13th of June, we had a sensitisation with our inmates on parole, Edo State, where we went to the two custodial centres.
“There is a high hope because, as it is now, we have profiled almost 33 inmates to be handled under parole,” he said.
The president of Prisons Rehabilitation and Welfare Action (PRAWA), Uju Agomoh, an Associate Professor of Criminology and Security Studies, Christland University, Abeokuta, said the purpose is to highlight the advantages of alternatives to imprisonment.
The Associate Professor added that Non-Custodial options, such as community service and probation, offer rehabilitation and cost savings, creating a “win-win” situation for the government and society.
The Edo Chief Judge, Justice Daniel Okungbowa, expressed hope for inter-agency collaboration to reduce congestion in correctional centres by properly implementing laws.
The Chief Judge, represented by Justice Efe Ikonwohnba, commended the organisers of the program and offered court support to alleviate overcrowding through legal implementation.