The CLEEN Foundation, has issued a policy brief calling for significant reforms to Nigeria’s parole system. says the brief, titled “A Parole System Not Fit for Purpose.

It highlights critical gaps and challenges within the current legal framework and offers recommendations to enhance the effectiveness and fairness of the parole process in Nigeria.

Its Program Director, Salaudeen Hashim said parole was introduced into the Nigerian penal system with the enactment of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) in 2015.

Hashim Before this, early release of inmates was only possible through presidential or gubernatorial pardons. The ACJA empowers courts to release inmates on parole based on the recommendation of the comptroller-general of the Nigerian Correctional Service. Inmates must exhibit good behavior and serve their non-parole periods to qualify. However, the act’s provisions on these requirements are ambiguously defined, particularly regarding the non-parole period.

The parole system aims to rehabilitate inmates, facilitate their reintegration into society, and alleviate overcrowding in correctional facilities. Despite these objectives, the system has faced numerous challenges, including politicization, lack of standardized criteria for parole eligibility, and unclear roles of stakeholders.

To address these issues, CLEEN Foundation organized a two-day Performance Appraisal Workshop across eight states, under its MacArthur Foundation project. The workshop brought together key stakeholders to evaluate the parole system’s legal framework and identify areas for improvement.

The appraisal highlighted several critical issues: In the South-South Region (Cross River, Delta, Edo), financial and oversight limitations for the parole board, discrepancies between parole laws and the ACJA, and a lack of public awareness were noted.

Recommendations included independent surveys of inmates and correctional officers, increased advocacy, and harmonisation of parole laws. In the North-West Region (Katsina, Jigawa, Sokoto), ambiguity in the ACJA regarding the minimum period for parole eligibility, lack of medical parole provisions, and inefficiencies in parole board operations were identified.

Recommendations included leveraging technology for supervision and establishing a digital case management system.

In the North-Central and East Region (Kwara, Bauchi), lack of work plans for parole boards and threats to security officers from released inmates were highlighted. Recommendations included revocation of parole for non-compliant inmates and creation of monitoring committees.

The policy brief outlines several key recommendations: comprehensive legal reforms to align the legal framework governing parole with international best practices and human rights standards, enhancing transparency in the parole process by publishing criteria and decisions, strengthening rehabilitation programs to better prepare inmates for reintegration, using the parole system to alleviate prison overcrowding, developing robust post-release monitoring and support systems to reduce reoffending, and streamlining judicial processes to ensure timely parole reviews and decisions.

The CLEEN Foundation urges the Nigerian government and relevant stakeholders to undertake these reforms to create a more effective and fair parole system. The organization emphasizes that improving the parole system will not only enhance the rehabilitation and reintegration of inmates but also contribute to public safety and trust in the justice system.