By Bashir Bello

KANO — As part of efforts to enhance parole administration for effective justice delivery, Prisoners Rehabilitation and Welfare Action (PRAWA) has trained members of the Kano State Parole Board to strengthen their capacity towards effective delivery of their mandate.

The training was conducted under the Advancing Implementation of Non-Custodial Solutions (AI-NCS) Project in Kano with funding support from the Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (RoLAC) II Programme, International IDEA.

Speaking at the event, the Program Manager for the Implementation of Non-Custodial Solutions Project at PRAWA, Katumi Oboirien emphasized that the two-day training aimed to strengthen the capacity of parole board members, equipping them with the necessary knowledge and skills to effectively execute their mandate.

Oboirien noted that the Nigeria Correctional Service Act 2019 provides legal backing for the implementation of non-custodial measures, including parole.

According to her, “Parole has to do with a conditional release of an inmate who has spent one third of the sentence in custodial center.

“Parole is one of the non custodial solutions. Others include community services, restorative justice and suspended sentencing.

“The Nigeria Correctional Service Act 2019 has given that legal backing that an inmate can be released from prison based on parole but there are conditions. That Act has also given power to the Controller-General of the Nigeria Correctional Service to constitute a parole board and that is why you have a parole board in each states including the FCT.

“The main task of the parole board is to work hand in hand with the parole officers in the custodial to identify inmates that are eligible for parole. So once the inmate is identified, then there are guidelines that must be followed and that is why we have the parole protocol which help them to make informed decisions. It is based on information the parole officer made about inmates because they are together with the inmates in the custodial that the parole board make informed decisions.

“Parole is not a right but a privilege. So that no inmate at custodial will say there is a law, I want to be released based on that. The inmates must meet all the criteria that has been listed that you will not be threat to the community when released.

“So what we are doing today is to strengthen the capacity of the parole board for effective justice delivery,” She said.

The Controller of Corrections, Kano State Command, Ado Inuwa said the composition of the parole board was based on their track record of performance while urging them to in their wealth of experience in the discharge of their mandate.

Earlier, the Chairman, Kano State Parole Board, Justice A. T. Badmasi said the training by PRAWA has equipped members and set machinery in place for the kick starting of the implementation of the non-custodial solutions project.

He said since it inauguration sometimes in 2022, the board was faced with challenges of logistics which hindered it functionality.