To minister of interior: Call for action on incarcerated women

I am writing to share key reflections from the Women in Corrections Conference in Bangkok, Thailand, convened by the International Corrections and Prisons Association (ICPA), a global network dedicated to advancing ethical and effective correctional practices through knowledge-sharing, capacity-building, and policy development, of which several senior officers of the Nigerian Correctional Service are part of.

These reflections are particularly important as Nigeria joins the rest of the world to commemorate Women’s Month and to reaffirm its commitment to gender-responsive policies across its institutions this month of March.

Fifteen years ago, the United Nations Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners and Non-custodial Measures for Women Offenders (Bangkok Rules) were adopted to address gaps in international correctional standards, particularly the unique challenges faced by women in custodial facilities.

While the Nelson Mandela Rules set universal guidelines for prisoner treatment, they overlooked issues like pregnancy, childcare, reproductive health, trauma, gender-based violence amongst others. The Bangkok Rules advocates for gender-sensitive correctional management, including non-custodial sentencing for pregnant women and primary caregivers, access to adequate healthcare and mental health support, and robust rehabilitation programs, ensuring education, vocational training, and employment opportunities post-release.

As the sole Nigerian delegate at the conference, a fact that surprised me at my realisation, I had the opportunity to engage with global best practices in correctional management and gain firsthand insights during my visit to the Thonburi Correctional Institution for Women.

The Institution houses about 779 women with sentences under 10 years with a wide range of vocational and rehabilitation programs. There were lots of fascinating things about this institution but the key one for me was the significant ways in which art therapy is integrated into their rehabilitation programmes.

First, it serves as a behavioural rehabilitation tool, helping inmates manage violent tendencies and develop healthier emotional responses. Second, it played a role in substance abuse recovery, offering a therapeutic outlet for women overcoming addiction. Lastly, art is used as a pathway to entrepreneurship, equipping inmates with creative skills they can monetize for financial independence after their release.

Several countries, including African countries also showcased innovative approaches to correcting this special group of women. These included purpose-built facilities for women in Australia, entrepreneurship programmes in Eswatini, trauma-informed care models in Jamaica amongst others.

The conference highlighted the growing number of incarcerated women globally. Data from Penal Reform International showed that 741,000 women and girls are currently imprisoned worldwide, a 17% increase since 2010. Women constitute about 2% of the prison population, with the Nigerian Correctional Service reporting 1,740 female inmates as of February 2025, a 2.2% increase within a few months.

This upward trend is concerning as many of these women find themselves incarcerated due to socio-economic hardship, often stemming from poverty, lack of access to legal representation, and gender-based vulnerabilities. Without urgent reforms, this issue risks escalating beyond control, further entrenching cycles of marginalisation.

This experience in Bangkok helped me to critically evaluate Nigeria’s progress in implementing gender-responsive correctional policies, drawing from my extensive interactions with 65 custodial centers across the country over the past seven years as the Executive Director of Hope Behind Bars Africa.

Nigeria adopted the Bangkok rules in principle when they were unanimously approved by the UN General Assembly in December 2010. Laudably, some aspects have been incorporated into national legislation, such as, the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015, which encourages non-custodial sentencing and Section 34 of the Nigerian Correctional Service Act 2019, which mandates separate facilities for women and requires that correctional institutions meet the specific needs of female inmates.

However, as with many international standards, implementation remains largely inconsistent. Both the Bangkok rules and our NCOS Act mandate that each state should have one female custodial facility. In practice, only three such facilities currently exist nationwide. Another critical area that requires closer examination is rehabilitation and reintegration, which are essential for breaking the cycle of reoffending.

Despite the Nigerian Correctional Service receiving N183.6 billion in the last budget, the budget primarily covers physical infrastructure “rehabilitation”, neglecting the rehabilitation and reintegration of those incarcerated. A deeper look at Corrections budgetary allocations over the past five years reveals the same significant gap, rehabilitation and reintegration programs for inmates are not explicitly funded.

As a result, rehabilitation efforts are largely driven by Non-governmental or Faith-based Organisations, a model that, while valuable, is neither sustainable nor comprehensive. The situation is even more dire for incarcerated women, due to their safety and security, women are often restricted from certain areas in facilities they share with men, further limiting their access to rehabilitation programs tailored to their specific needs.

With Women’s Month upon us, it is critical to accelerate action on these issues as the experiences of incarcerated women remain largely invisible in policy discussions. To align Nigeria’s correctional system with international best practices, the government must take concrete steps to implement the Bangkok Rules, which provide a comprehensive framework for the treatment of women in corrections.

The Controller General has the authority to institutionalise the Bangkok Rules within Nigeria’s corrections framework by establishing mandatory training programs for correctional officers, policymakers, and justice sector officials. These programs should be designed to ensure gender-responsive correctional management, equipping stakeholders with the knowledge and skills necessary to address the unique needs of incarcerated women.

The amendment of the Nigerian Correctional Service Act concerning Non-Custodial Sentencing must be accelerated to ensure its effective implementation. The Federal Ministry of Justice, in collaboration with the Nigerian Correctional Service, should establish robust oversight and monitoring systems to track compliance with non-custodial sentencing.

The National Assembly, particularly the Committees on Interior, Justice, and Human Rights, must fast-track the necessary legislative amendments. The Judiciary must be more proactive in enforcing non-custodial measures by issuing clear sentencing guidelines and ensuring non-custodial measures are prioritised for women, particularly those with dependent children or who are in conflict with the law for minor offenses.

Section 34(1) of the Nigerian Correctional Service Act mandates the establishment of separate facilities for female inmates across all 36 states, a provision that is crucial in addressing the unique challenges faced by incarcerated women.

With the removal of corrections from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent List, state governments and legislatures now share the responsibility for implementing this provision. This shift allows states to allocate resources, develop policies, and enact laws that support the creation and improvement of female custodial centres within their jurisdictions.

Parliament must prioritise increased budgetary allocations for rehabilitation and reintegration across correctional facilities, ensuring that reformation programs receive dedicated funding. However, funding alone is not enough—its implementation requires commitment from the Federal Ministry of Interior and the Nigerian Correctional Service, which must integrate gender-responsive rehabilitation programs, including education, vocational training, mental health services, and post-release support for incarcerated women.

Ensuring gender-responsive correctional policies must also extend to women on death row. Some of these women face systemic discrimination, histories of abuse, and coercion, factors that ought to be considered in legal proceedings. The government must prioritize urgent legal and psychological support for women sentenced to death, ensuring that their cases are reviewed with a gender-sensitive approach that acknowledges mitigating circumstances. Additionally, rehabilitative and restorative justice mechanisms should be available to all incarcerated women, regardless of their sentence, reinforcing a correctional system that upholds both human dignity.

The principle of equity demands that policies go beyond numerical representation to address specific needs. The fact that women are a minority in prison does not justify neglecting their rights. Only through a coordinated effort can we ensure that women in correctional facilities receive the support necessary for true rehabilitation and reintegration into society.

I welcome the opportunity to discuss this further and explore potential collaborations to drive meaningful reform.

Thank you for your time and commitment to advancing gender-responsive corrections in Nigeria.

Adeoye is Executive Director, Hope Behind Bars Africa.