“I’d Rather Stay”: Why Some Ex-Inmates Beg To Remain In Prison

Correctional Centre officials say the reasons go beyond the crime. They point to stigma, poverty, lack of patronage, and fear of returning to crime as major factors pushing some ex-inmates to prefer life inside the prison.

“Some of them do tell us directly: ‘Oga, I’m not ready to go out,’” said a senior officer at a custodial centre in Lagos who asked not to be named. “Outside, they face rejection from family, no job, no house. Inside, they have food, bed, and routine. It becomes safer for them.”

The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) confirmed this trend. Speaking in Abuja, the National Public Relations Officer, CSC Jane Osuji, said many inmates now earn a living inside through the Service’s reformatory and vocational programmes.

“From our experiences, it is all about rejection by the society,” Osuji said. “Most inmates go through our reformatory programme and start earning through trades while in custody. But when they go out, the society that is supposed to give them a second chance rejects them by not patronizing the various trades or skills they have acquired.”

She added that some inmates have become so skilled in custody that they use their earnings to pay school fees, take care of children, and even build houses for their families.

“So, most of them end up not having any source of livelihood outside,” she explained. “These are individuals who hitherto didn’t have any source of income, learned a trade in custody, began to earn, and now find themselves in a society where they are not accepted or patronized. They cannot feed themselves. So they rather stay back.”

Deputy Controller of Corrections, Francis Adebisi, PRO Lagos Command, said reintegration remains a major challenge.

“When an inmate is released, the community is supposed to receive them. But many are labeled ‘ex-con’ and shut out,” Adebisi said. “Without skills to earn a living and without family support, some will commit offences just to come back. Others beg to stay back to complete a trade they started.”

Osuji noted that the problem is worse for those with minor offences.

“When it is time for them to leave, they will tell you they don’t want to go. It’s unbelievable, but it’s the reality,” she said. “They prefer to stay where they are sure of their safety and livelihood, and where the society will not force them back into crime.”

NCoS said it is working with state governments and NGOs to improve post-release support through halfway homes, job placement, and counseling.

“We cannot just discharge and forget,” Adebisi added. “If we don’t prepare society to accept them, and prepare them to survive outside, then the prison becomes a revolving door.”

The Service also warned the public against illegal communication with inmates, citing Section 29 of the Nigerian Correctional Service Act 2019 which prescribes a fine of three million Naira or three years imprisonment, or both.