Children in Penitentiary: Legal implications

Abstract

Children are being incarcerated in Adult correctional centres across Nigeria, thereby depriving
them of their right to child justice administration anchored on reformation and rehabilitation. This
aberration in the Nigerian Criminal justice system spawns a lot of concern in view of its
devastating and perilous effects on the children and the society by extension. Incarceration divests
the children of rights to life, health, education and dignity of human person. It further advances
recidivism, moral decadence and insecurity in the society. This paper examines this pertinent issue
which is prevalent in Nigeria and recommends an immediate government intervention towards
establishing a proper child justice administration with sustainable correctional institutions for
children in every State of the Federation for proper treatment of child offenders in line with
international standards and trends.