Walls That Shape or Walls That Bind: Do Juvenile Centers Truly Reform in Southwestern Nigeria?

Inioluwa Ogunkeye , The Sapphires Development Initiative

Nigeria's Children and Young Persons Act (CYPA) established juvenile institutions to reform, rehabilitate, and reintegrate young people, providing formal education and vocational training facilities to achieve these goals. The question of how effective these facilities are and their impact on Juvenile rehabilitation is the crux of study. A mixed-method approach was used for the evaluation of 95 Juveniles in Abeokuta and Ibadan Juvenile Correctional Homes (JCHs), South western Nigeria. Corrective measures used were assessed through questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. The study aims to assess juveniles' views and attitudes towards corrective measures and their psychological well-being in Juvenile Correctional Homes (JCHs). The findings emphasize the need for tailored correctional practices, prioritizing education, counseling, and peer interactions to promote juveniles' well-being. No link was found between personal characteristics and psychological well-being, but juveniles' perception of corrective measures impacts their well-being, highlighting the need for a rehabilitative approach. The psychological health and long-term outcomes of juveniles have received little attention so far, and they frequently lack access to mental health care. In view of this, this study aims to assess JCHs in Southwest Nigeria on the provision of corrective interventions and the psychological needs of juveniles.

Keywords: Children, Adolescents, and Youth

See extended abstract.