Stakeholders Kick Against Co-habiting Juveniles With Adults, Advocate Reform Homes

RATHER than allowing juveniles cohabit with adults as inmates in prisons, government at all levels have been urged to as a matter of urgency, establish remand homes for juveniles who are found wanting by the courts.

The reform homes, if established as opined by stakeholders who yesterday converged at the Amanke Okafor Bar Center of the Nigerian Bar Association Awka, Anambra state, would go a long way to reform young offenders presently wallowing in different cells across the nation.

The gathering, which The Guardian observed was aimed at eradicating incidence of sentencing young offenders alongside adults in the same prison, was organised by Cleen Foundation with support from Macaurthur Foundation and its partners in Akwa. Believing that their suggestions if adhered to would assist the young offenders and the country at large, they also argued for the employment of more Magistrates so as to facilitate bail applications.

Led by Somto Ogoegbuna, they agreed that sensitizing the Police and Prisons Service especially on the issue of arrests would go a long way to improving the value chain of administration of criminal justice system in the country.

While commending the efforts of the Anambra State Ministry of Justice and the judiciary, the group also agreed to meet with the Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice to advocate for speedy writing of legal opinions by Legal officers of the Ministry which the agreed will help decongest the prisons.

Participants who expressed their readiness to tread all legitimate paths to actualize the establishment of the reforms, believed that young offenders would be more reformed if given the opportunity to distance themselves from adult inmates.