馃嚦馃嚞NigeriaWest Africa
1,271 Nigerians serving non-custodial sentences nationwide
via Punch Nigeria2 min read
According to statistics released by the Nigerian Correctional Service NCoS on Tuesday, 1,271 offenders are currently serving non-custodial sentences across Nigeria. This total includes 1,137 males and 134 females. Community service is the most common non-custodial measure, with 1,038 offenders, comprising 992 males and 46 females. Additionally, 12 offenders are on parole nine males, three females, and 34 are serving probation sentences 30 males, four females. The NCoS data also indicates that 162 offenders are participating in restorative justice programs 84 males, 78 females, and 25 are under other non-custodial measures 22 males, three females. Overall, males constitute approximately 89 percent of the non-custodial population. The non-custodial service, introduced under the Nigerian Correctional Service Act, 2019, aims to decongest custodial centers by offering alternatives to imprisonment such as community service, probation, parole, and restorative justice. This reform replaced the Nigerian Prisons Service framework and aligns with the Administration of Criminal Justice Act ACJA 2015. Implementation began in phases, with the Federal Capital Territory and Lagos among the first to adopt these measures, which have since expanded to states like Adamawa, Anambra, Edo, Kano, Lagos, and Plateau.
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This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by Punch Nigeria.
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