Overview of Juvenile Facilities in Nigeria and Mental Health Impacts
Juvenile facilities in Nigeria, including remand homes (for children awaiting trial or in need of care) and borstal institutions (for convicted juveniles aged 16–21), aim to prioritize rehabilitation, education, and reintegration over punishment. Governed by laws like the Child Rights Act 2003 and the Nigerian Correctional Service Act 2019, these facilities emphasize separating juveniles from adults and fostering a supportive environment. However, only three functional borstal institutions (Kaduna, Ilorin, Abeokuta) and approximately 22 remand homes operate nationwide, managed by federal or state authorities. In contrast, regular custodial centers, primarily for adults, focus on detention and security, housing 92% of detained children and young adults, often in violation of separation laws.
Conditions in Juvenile Facilities vs. Regular Custodial Centers
Both juvenile and adult facilities face systemic challenges, but juvenile facilities are designed to be rehabilitative, incorporating education and vocational training. In practice, poor conditions and mental health neglect undermine this goal, with outcomes often mirroring the punitive nature of adult centers.
Juvenile Facilities:
- Overcrowding and Infrastructure: Remand homes, like Minna, are overcrowded, with children squeezed into small dormitories lacking mattresses or ventilation. Poor water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) force reliance on families for essentials. Borstals suffer from outdated vocational equipment, limiting skill-building opportunities.
- Mental Health Impacts: Mental health support is critically lacking. While 80% of detainees report access to medical personnel, 62% find services inadequate, and psychological care is scarce, with no clinical psychologists in many facilities. About 24% experience abuse, including physical punishment, bullying, or sexual exploitation, which exacerbates trauma, anxiety, and depression. Prolonged detention (79% awaiting trial) and uncertainty contribute to psychological distress, with 70% of detainees reporting feelings of hopelessness or fear.
- Education and Rehabilitation: Only 36.7% access formal education and 32.3% vocational training, limiting rehabilitation. While 70% learn some positive behaviors (e.g., avoiding negative influences), the lack of mental health programs hinders emotional development and reintegration.
- Detention Statistics (2018–2022): Remand homes held 7,375 children (83% male, mostly 11–17), and borstals housed 3,967 boys, primarily for theft (47%), rape, or murder. A lack of legal representation (68.2%) prolongs detention, worsening mental health outcomes.
Regular Custodial Centers:
- Overcrowding and Infrastructure: These centers house 122,564 young detainees (2018–2022, mostly 16–20), often mixed with adults, violating legal mandates. Facilities like Ikoyi Custodial Center, designed for 1,000, hold over 3,000, with poor WASH, inadequate ventilation, and disease prevalence.
- Mental Health Impacts: Health service access mirrors juvenile facilities (80%), but inadequacy remains high (62%). Torture (50.3%, mostly physical) and inhuman treatment are more prevalent, with only 11% reporting incidents due to fear. Mixing with adults exposes juveniles to criminogenic influences, increasing risks of trauma, aggression, and recidivism. The lack of mental health support amplifies psychological harm, with many developing long-term issues like PTSD.
- Education and Rehabilitation: Similar to juvenile facilities, only 36.7% access education, but rehabilitation is minimal, with little focus on emotional or psychological reintegration, leading to higher recidivism rates.
- Detention Statistics: Young detainees, often held for minor offenses like stealing, face prolonged detention due to judicial delays or lack of bail. Many are innocent or victims of systemic oppression, compounding mental health struggles.
Key Comparisons:
- Purpose and Treatment: Juvenile facilities aim for a “school-like” rehabilitative environment but often function as punitive spaces due to underfunding and inadequate mental health support. Adult centers are more overtly punitive, with higher abuse rates (91% physical in torture cases) and exposure to hardened criminals, severely impacting juveniles’ mental well-being.
- Mixing Issues: Despite legal mandates, 92% of detained children are in adult centers, and over 70% of some juvenile facility inmates are adults, increasing risks of exploitation and psychological harm. This violates international standards like the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
- Justice Delays: Both facility types have high awaiting-trial rates (79%), but adult centers see longer delays (64.8% report issues), exacerbating mental health deterioration. Extreme cases, like a 14-year-old detained for 18 years without charges, highlight severe psychological tolls.
Views and Opinions
Perceptions of juvenile facilities are largely negative, with conditions seen as inadequate for rehabilitation and detrimental to mental health, closely resembling adult centers’ failures.
- Expert and Official Views: A 2025 UNICEF assessment notes 76% of detainees would not recommend their facility, and 70.3% of oversight employees rate conditions inadequate. Mixing juveniles with adults is deemed “counterproductive,” fostering trauma and criminogenic behavior. The Nigerian government, via the Minister of Interior, pledges reforms to enhance rehabilitation and mental health support, emphasizing second chances for minors. Stakeholders advocate for improved psychological care and facility upgrades in places like Kaduna and Kano.
Public and Detainee Opinions: Social media portrays the system as broken, with juveniles “languishing” in environments that worsen mental health, turning facilities into “warehouses.” Some argue these centers fail to deter, instead fostering anger and trauma, and suggest community-based rehabilitation to address psychological needs. Others highlight harsh conditions that disproportionately harm innocent or vulnerable youth, amplifying mental health crises.
Challenges and Recommendations
Key challenges include underfunding, poor record-keeping (e.g., age falsification), staff shortages, and judicial delays, all contributing to mental health deterioration and recidivism. Recommendations include:
- Increasing the age of criminal responsibility to reduce juvenile detention.
- Ensuring strict separation of juveniles and adults to prevent psychological harm.
- Boosting funding for mental health professionals, clinical psychologists, and rehabilitation programs.
- Promoting non-custodial alternatives like community service to minimize trauma.
- Partnering with organizations that enhance monitoring, mental health support, and reintegration.
In summary, while juvenile facilities in Nigeria aim to rehabilitate, their conditions—marked by overcrowding, inadequate mental health care, and systemic failures—mirror adult custodial centers, severely impacting detainees’ psychological well-being. Urgent reforms are needed to align with their rehabilitative intent and protect juvenile mental health.
Sources:
1. https://guardian.ng/features/reforming-nigerias-juvenile-justice-system/
2. https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/648013-investigation-nigerian-borstal-institutions-turn-juvenile-offenders-to-hardened-criminals.html
3. https://www.unicef.org/nigeria/reports/national-assessment-juvenile-detention-facilities-nigeria
4. https://www.unodc.org/documents/justice-and-prison-reform/Justice_Matters.pdf
5. https://dailytrust.com/stakeholders-seek-revamping-of-juvenile-homes-to-tackle-overcrowding/
6. https://punchng.com/fg-releases-102-inmates-from-custodial-centres/
About the Writer:
Reverend Nwachukwu is the Founder and Executive Director of Cope and Live Mental Health Awareness Foundation. A highly qualified professional, he holds a Level 3 Mental Health Diploma and is a leading voice in mental health advocacy. He is also a trained Child Psychologist, Grief & Bereavement Counsellor, Depression Counsellor, Emotional Intelligence Life Coach, EMDR and CBT Life Coach, Couple Counsellor, SAMHI Dual Diagnosis Practitioner, trained Drugs and Addiction Coach, and an IOC Sports Administrator. His passion and expertise drive his impactful work in mental health awareness and support.
Sources:
- Beck, A. T. (2011). Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: Basics and Beyond.
- The Holy Bible, King James Version, Proverbs 23:7.
- Smith, J. M., et al. (2019). The Journal of Abnormal Psychology.
- Kabat-Zinn, J. (1990). Full Catastrophe Living.
- American Heart Association (2020). “Anger and Heart Health.”
- Zaccaro, A., et al. (2021). Frontiers in Psychology.
- Seligman, M. E. P. (2006). Learned Optimism.
- Holt-Lunstad, J. (2015). Perspectives on Psychological Science.
- American Psychological Association (2017). “What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy?”
- Amabile, T., & Kramer, S. (2011). The Progress Principle.
If things are getting out of hand, please call us on +234 814 831 8965 or send us an Email at: info@copeandlive.foundation