The Chief Judge of Ondo State, Justice O. Akeredolu, has appealed to the Federal Government to assist in addressing the deplorable state of facilities at the correctional centres in the state to achieve the purpose they were created.
Akeredolu who stated this at a Special Court Session to mark the commencement of the 2019/2020 legal year in Akure, Ondo State capital, said facilities in most of the centres are in deplorable conditions and needed urgent attention.
She explained that inmates are exposed to hardship on a daily basis, noting that this was one of the reasons the inmates are said to be hardened upon their release back to society.
The Chief Judge said: “We hereby call on the Federal Government to revamp and upgrade the facilities in all these centres so they can be able to effectively serve the purpose for which they were created.
“The aim of the recent changing of the nomenclature from Prison to Correctional Center is to drive home the point that incarceration of offenders is principally for information.
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“But unfortunately, the hardship inmates are exposed to on a daily basis will make the time spent in custody counterproductive.
“Accommodation with all necessary accessories, medical, entrepreneurial and educational facilities should be made available to these Correctional Centers as a matter of urgency.”
The Chief Judge, however, called on State and Local governments to assist in complementing the efforts of the Federal Government in revamping and upgrading the facilities in the Correctional Centers.
She called on judges in the state to facilitate speedy determination of all cases, particularly criminal cases in their respecting courts, urging them to clamp down on adjournments.
“We should be firm on how we take dates for adjournment so we can conclude cases within a reasonable time. Let us sit every day and determine cases within a short time frame. For Magistrate that are designated to visit police stations, do it more frequently and make your bail condition more liberal.”
She commended the state government under the leadership of Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu, for funding the judiciary but noted that “what is released is a minute fraction of what is needed.
“The Executive and Judiciary should collaborate with the Judiciary to ensure that what is appropriated to the judiciary and that can actually meet her needs is released and timeously.”