CHAPTER
ONE
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND
OF THE STUDY
Despite
Nigeria’s progress on democratic, economic and political reforms, Nigeria’s
prisons are yet to make appreciable impact on the welfare of the inmates. A
recurring debate within contemporary academic circles, criminologists, health
workers and prison experts, is to ensure an appropriate health template for
proper prison administration that will reflect its objectives. Even though
crime and other vices need to be deterred, it should be to the extent that
inmates health should be adequately taken care of during and after
imprisonment; it is therefore needful to be logical and rational in terms of
health delivery while in custody.
Seven
years into the new millennium, health for all prison inmates in Nigeria and
many African nations has remained mirage. Recent assessment of African Prison
Health systems indicates a gloomy picture of weakness in performance (African
Regional Health Report, 2006). The inability to provide quality and equitable
access to prison health care services through much reliance on western health
care framework have further widening the existing health inequalities in many
African countries and the Nigerian prisons in particular. This scenario has
also the poor and the rich, urban and rural dwellers, inmates and the “free” at
different axis of the production spectrum of health care delivery in Nigeria. A
good example of this unfavourable equation becomes obvious when the health of
special groups like the prisoners is critically examined (Health in African
Prisons, 1999). Evidence has linked major determinants of health in modern populations
to socioeconomic, political and cultural factors and as such inequalities in
health have remained problematic across cultures, socio-economic class, gender
or ethnicity (Bambra et al., 2005). In the social sequence of events, prison
inmates are most times from the poorest sectors of the society, and suffer more
from inequitable access to effective health care services. This experience also
exacerbates existing health problems of inmates (de viggiani, 2007). Hence, the
current drive towards realizing the health related millennium development goals
requires more forceful drive from the Nigerian government. Health is political
and the power exercised over it is part of the wider economic, social and
political system (Bambra1, et al., 2005). Thus, achieving both qualitative and
quantitative health among special groups like prison inmates may be far from
realization going by the slow attitude of prison officials and the government
in particular in addressing the health needs of prisoners. Hence, this paper
attempts a sociological discourse of prison health within the social context
producing it. This was done by discussing prison health in Nigeria as a social
product. The paper further suggest plausible model on which optimum prison
health in Nigeria could be realized.
STATEMENT
OF THE GENERAL PROBLEM
The
unsavory nature of Nigeria prisons health care system leaves one in doubt, with
too many questions and fewer answers; being that majority of persons become
susceptible to diseases and infections than when they never went behind bars
and commit more heineous crimes. Officers and men of Nigeria prisons epitomize
have not taken the health of prison inmates seriously which many are certainly
not satisfied with their conditions of service delivery health wise. Interestingly,
prison still remains indispensable in correcting, reforming and rehabilitating
“perceived convicts” in Nigeria. It is worrisome that recommendations and
suggestions made to government for prison health reforms are yet to be
implemented.
AIMS
AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The
main objectives of the study are to examine health care delivery system for
inmates of the Nigeria prison. Other specific objectives of the study include;
- To
examine the health condition of prison inmates.
- To
assess the environmental condition of Nigeria prisons.
- To
assess the benefit to effective health care delivery in Nigeria prisons.
- To
examine the Nigerian prison reforms.
- To
examine the challenges to achieving an effective health care delivery
system for prison inmates.
- To
recommend ways of improving health care delivery in Nigeria prisons.
RESEARCH
QUESTIONS
- What
are the health conditions of prison inmates in Nigeria?
- What
are the environmental conditions of Nigeria prisons?
- What
is the benefit to effective health care delivery in Nigeria prisons?
- What
are the Nigerian prison reforms that would improve health care delivery?
- What
are the challenges to achieving an effective health care delivery system
for prison inmates?
- What are
the ways of improving health care delivery in Nigeria prisons?
RESEARCH
HYPOTHESIS
H0:
There are no challenges to effective health care system in Nigerian prisons.
H1:
There are challenges to effective health care system in Nigerian prisons.
SIGNIFICANCE
OF THE STUDY
The
study would greatly benefit the Nigerian prison service and the federal
government as it would reveal the benefits of effective health care system and
the challenges of achieving effective health care system in Nigerian prisons
across the country. the study would also be of immense importance to students,
researchers and scholars who are interested in developing a further study on
the subject matter.
SCOPE
AND LIMITATION OF THE STUDY
The
study is restricted to health care system delivery system to prison inmates in
Nigerian prison using the Nigerian prison service Ado ekiti, Ekiti state as a
case study.
LIMITATION
OF THE STUDY
Financial
constraint: Insufficient
fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant
materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection
(internet, questionnaire and interview)
Time
constraint: The
researcher will simultaneously engage in this study with other academic work.
This consequently will cut down on the time devoted for the research work.
TOPIC: HEALTH CARE DELIVERY SYSTEM FOR INMATES OF THE NIGERIA PRISON: A CASE STUDY OF NIGERIAN PRISON SERVICE ADO EKITI
Format: MS Word
Chapters: 1 - 5
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Delivery: Email
Number of Pages: 80
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