rehabilitate them or not?

This is actually a complicated topic and the reason for that is because there are a lot of things at play when it comes to the rehabilitation of a criminal. The first question I would even ask is; do we even have rehabilitation programs in Nigeria? From the little I know about how prisons work in this country, criminals are just imprisoned in very terrible conditions with little to no counselling or therapy but I do know that pastors and clergymen go there to preach to the prisoners, but is that even enough?

I think the one thing that might discourage criminals from going back to their crimes after being released from prison is the terrible experience that they had while in prison. Being imprisoned has a way of breaking some people and the thought of going back to such a condition will discourage them from committing crimes. On the other hand, it might also make them more careful with their crime and maybe go into other crimes that aren't so risky, the goal is to avoid getting caught and go back to the hellish life in prison.

Also, we have very hardened criminals who seem to enjoy the life of crime and even being imprisoned won't stop them, then in such a case I think being imprisoned for life is probably the best way to go. The one thing to realize about criminals is that it all starts with their mindset, hence why I mentioned counselling or therapy earlier. All criminals have a reason for doing a crime. For fraudsters, thieves and robbers, it's mostly greed, desperation and hunger that pushed them into that life, while for murderers it might be anger and certain psychological issues.

The worst of this bunch are those who commit crimes just for the fun of it, this type has one mental disorder or the other. The way I see it, if these issues (greed, desperation, anger) aren't addressed psychologically, then there's a high chance that such a person would go back to being a criminal when they are released. Another thing to look at when it comes to rehabilitation is the weight of the crime; a murderer would likely not commit such a crime again after spending a long time in prison (unless they are a psychopath) but that might be different for a fraudster as the chance of them going back to that crime is high.

This is what I have seen a lot in Nigeria; a fraudster is arrested today, spends time in prison and a few days after they are released they are back to fraud. Some of them even see it as a badge of honour; doing time in prison. There's a chance that criminals can be properly rehabilitated but that system is seriously messed up in this country. Some developed countries are probably doing it right and have a higher success rate of rehabilitating criminals. I think such a program exists in Nigeria but is it being implemented? Probably not. Let's not even talk about the amount of corruption that's carried out in prisons

In the end, I think proper rehabilitation can go a long way in correcting the behaviours of some criminals, especially those who committed crimes due to circumstances. I don't think it's right to just give up on them quickly, everyone deserves a second chance but in cases where the person is a repeating offender, then a stricter measure should be implemented. Ultimately, a balance should be created and those who can be rehabilitated should be given a chance, but of course, all this is only possible if the system itself is solid and well-planned, which I really can't say for my country Nigeria.

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