The senate yesterday expunged hard labour from Nigerian Prisons Act, stressing that it was inherited from the colonial masters.
It recommended that ‘hard labour,’ according to Section (1, is “an inheritance from colonial era and should be deleted and replaced with Prison Labour.”
The Senate also recommended a bill for an Act to repeal the Prisons Act Cap. 129 Laws, 2004 and enact the Nigerian Prisons and Correctional Service.
The decision came following the amendment of the Prison Act carried out by Senate Committee on Interior, which was headed by Senator Atiku Bagudu, who also solicited for the accommodation of the Nigeria Prisons reform in the Subsidy Re-investment Empowerment Programme (SURE-P).
Senator Bagudu while speaking during the consideration of the report of the committee, added that anybody who interferes in the work of a prisoner by working outside a prison or entering any house commits an offence and is liable to one year imprisonment or N10,000 fine.

Section 8(g) stipulated that “interference with a prisoner working outside a prison, or allows such a prisoner to enter any house, yard or other premises (unless it is at the request of the prison officer or other person in charge of the prison), or assists such a prisoner to absent himself or neglect his work, commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding N10,000 or to imprisonment for a period not exceeding 12 months, or both.”

http://dailypost.com.ng/2012/11/28/senate-says-hard-labour-prisoners/

This is a positive development. The only issue I have with our criminal system is that it favors the rich over the poor. Why should a convict be given the option of simply paying 10,000 naira to escape a jail term of a year? I feel the monetary fine should be tied to our minimum wage, that is 20,000 for one month and 240,000 for a year. Doing this will surely make the prison act more fair and equitable.

waoh, good improvement , am totally proud of these

When will this bill be signed into law??

Wonderful! The tax-payers money is at work here! Glory! Democracy in progress!
.. We pay Senators elephant salaries to engage in syntax games! This bill to change just one word cost millions of naira. Don't you just love Naija??

Ikoyi prison take note

.bump.

@triville
some penalties, as provided for in our various penal/criminal codes, carry the option of fine while some do not. The section providing for the option of fine may also state the amount to be paid as fine, its not generally made at the discretion of the Court

Pls wen does dis happens

Our politicians ve seen the future,they ar afraid of the day that i will be the president coz i will kick them to jail like ball to the net.

Rubbish.........there meant to pour all those criminals on road work, street cleaning and railway construction and make them WORK, let them do something usefull for the society ( I mean sit would save companies and govrnment a whole lot of money in terms of hiring people)

They are creating a safe landing for themselves cos most of them will end up cooling off at Kirikiri or Kuje prisons!

They should decongest and build modern prisons.
'If you want to know how civilised a country is go to their prisons'

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All na Wash!

Till that day comes wen High-profile govt thieves r serving extensive jail terms in Nigerian Prisons,.

Naa that day i кnoω say tinz don they change

I guess am confuse here because a lot of people are saying this is a positive development, will be happy if someone can explain it to me...

What is the difference between 'hard labour' and 'prison labour'?...How will this change the status quo?

Just like I do not see any difference between butter and margarine, I use both for exactly the same purpose and they achieve the same goal....I do not see any difference between 'hard labour' and 'prison labour' ...or is the improvement on the change in terminology from what the colonial masters use to call it?

Commendable move

@ what stage of deliberations is the said bill

Dat's gud....make dem expect more prisoners

Hmmm,interesting

Nollywood una dey hear: 'i hereby sentence you to Xyears imprisonment with hard labour'

What is the difference between "hard" labour and "prison" labour?

Some members of the senate have come to realize the are going the soon, that is why the chosed to pass this bill... Shame on them!

Peeps are looking after themselves here. They know that one day will be one day and they will soon find themselves behind bars too!

Hmmm! No more prison breaks. Nigerians should also expect rise in crime rates since prisoners will still be living a normal life while in prison.

This is a good move,now they are beginning to realise that prisons would be their next home

pssword: Peeps are looking after themselves here. They know that one day will be one day and they will soon find themselves behind bars too!

EXACTLY

Hard labour changed to prison labour, what's new

Na dem sabi!! I've got no business with prison or being a prisoner.

Prisoners should do hard labour for the FG. Any labour they need. Afterall they are using tax money to keep them there. So they have to be useful to the society. They can make license plates, federal garbage bins and other things instead of FG spending billions to purchase these things. It helps them acquire skills and makes them useful when they get out. Prisoners should not be kept idle, otherwise the prisons will just be full. Who no wan chop and no work?

[size=13pt]AS AN INMATE OF KUJE PRISONS FOR 8 YEARS AND I CAN DEFIANTLY TELL YOU THAT HARD LABOR WAS THE MOST DIFFICULT THING I DID THERE.I AM HAPPY FOR THIS ALTHOUGH I AM STILL HOPING I WONT GO BACK TO PRISON AGAIN BUT IT IS NOT EASY [/size]

handmaid: @triville
some penalties, as provided for in our various penal/criminal codes, carry the option of fine while some do not. The section providing for the option of fine may also state the amount to be paid as fine, its not generally made at the discretion of the Court

What I am saying is that the penal/criminal code should do away with a specific amount a fine should be. Whenever there is an option of fine in a case, the court should be mandated to set the amount payable based on The prevailing minimum wage multiplied the number of months the convict should spend.

A 10,000 naira fine in the year 2000 does not have the same value today because of inflation. It just makes practical sense to peg fines to the minimum wage rather than to change the penal code every few years.