HOUSING AND INFRASTRUCTURAL FACILITIES IN SELECTED MALE AND FEMALE MEDIUM SECURITY PRISONS IN ONDO STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The specific objectives of this thesis included the identification of the physical condition of male and female medium security prisons for human habitation in Akure and Ondo towns respectively, highlighting the standard minimum occupancy ratio and comparing it with existing situation in both prisons, and the assessment of maintenance practices in both prisons. Others include the evaluation of users’ perceptions and level of satisfaction with the available facilities in the prisons. Case study design was employed to investigate the condition of accommodation facilities in the prisons. In order to attain the aim and objectives of this research, data were collected from primary and secondary sources. The primary sources were the prisoners, prison officials and the use of questionnaires, interview guide and personal observation. The secondary sources included the existing documents from Nigeria Prison Service and the National Population Commission. Other germane data were obtained through maps, the internet, publications, dissertations and textbooks. The target populations for the research included inmates from Akure male and Ondo female medium security prisons. The Cochran’s formula was used to determine the sample size of 78 inmates and 8 inmates from target population of 560 and 12 inmates from both Akure male and Ondo female medium security prisons respectively. The simple random sampling technique was adopted to administer well-structured open and close ended questionnaires to prison inmates in addition to group discussions. Also, interview guide was employed to obtain information from the prison officials in Akure male and Ondo female medium security prisons. The data gathered were collated and analyzed through SPSS version 14 using descriptive and inferential statistics such as tables, chart; and Pearson Product Moment correlation analysis to affirm the authenticity of the research findings. The findings of this research reveal that 57.7 % of the sampled inmates cell in Akure male medium security prison were classified as double cells which accommodated above 60 inmates per cell while 37..5% of the inmates in Ondo female medium security prison were classified as single cell which accommodate (1-10) inmates per cell. This research showed that 3-4 person (47.7%the inmates from Akure Male Medium Security Prison sleep per bed while in Ondo Female Medium Security Prison 87.5%of the inmates sleep one person per bed . 24.7% of the inmates sleep on bare floor, 23.4% sleep on old mattresses, 14..3 % of the inmates in the male prison used rice sack and cartoon of beer to sleep while 25% of the inmates in the female prisons used rag, old mattresses and cartoon of beer to sleep and 12.5% t of the inmates sleep on bare floor and rag respectively.42. 3% of the toilet and bathroom facilities in the female prison were in poor condition and 41.9%of the toilet and bathroom faculties’ male prism were in poor state, Vital recommendations include renovation of ageing infrastructural facilities and construction of new structures to cope with the increasing detainees’ population in both prisons, provisions of adequate medical, recreation and vocational training facilities and relocation of Ondo female medium security prison from Surulere to the proposed new site under construction due the present unspacious and substandard condition of the Ondo female medium security prison in order to meet acceptable international standards.