The official training of 21 staff of Nigeria Prisons Service (NPS) on Management and use of the new Segregation Unit donated as a model to NPS located at Kuje Prison ended after four days practical session at the Segregation unit in Kuje prison.

The training was facilitated by foreign Criminal Justice experts headed by a U.K. Prison Consultant Mr Andrew Watts on the instance of British High Commission.

The Segregation unit is a more humane and modern way of disciplining inmates who reoffend while in custody with well drawn constructive regimes targeted at enforcing conformity and compliance to custodial rules and good order through a more humane, safe, secured and decent but firm treatment.

It’s a complete departure from the old isolation method in use across prisons which is in the process of being faced out with the introduction of the Segregation unit.

One of The essence of introducing the Segregation unit is in line with the Human Rights advocacy for strict compliance with the Standard Minimum Rule for the Treatment of Offenders and also to promote and imbibe the culture of dynamic security in our prisons which is all about encouraging good interpersonal, humane and decent relationship between Staff and inmates formed through mutual respect, effective communication, professionalism, sound intelligence gathering and decency as opposed to the hitherto harsh discipline, austere regime with all the locks, bolts and high fences which will only create an unfavorable atmosphere where prisoners constantly become disruptive or eager to escape.

The model unit currently located at Kuje prison is a prototype that will be replicated in all prisons in due course as training of Prisons officers on the Management of Specialist units is currently being inculcated into the institutions curriculum.

These innovations and many more are achievable thanks to the visionary leadership of the Current CGPS Ja’afaru Ahmed who is stopping at nothing to take the Service to an enviable height. In the Nigerian Prisons Service of today, Skill development is the Hallmark of professionalism and this is evident in the priority attention given to Staff training across rank.

The participants were drawn from Kuje Prison, Prisons Staff College and  Prisons Training School Kaduna and a representative from Training and Staff Development.

ASP. Aji, Stephanie Portia ANIPR

Public Relations Officer

Prisons Training School,Kaduna