Astro Prison Project

Project Summary

Over the years, Human Rights Watch and activists in Africa have raised concerns on the deplorable state of correctional/ prison services in the continent of which Nigeria is not exempted. The Nigerian government in its bid to improve its prison services enacted a new prison Act in 2019, targeted mainly to improve the welfare of inmates. The goal of the project is to inspire, educate and prepare the prisoners for life after imprisonment through astronomy activities. To achieve this, will be collaborating with Carmelite Prisoners’ Interest Organization (CAPIO) see (https://capiong.org/) and some private organizations teach the inmates some entrepreneurial skills such as liquid soap making, snailry, aqua-culture, bee keeping etc. Then we will use the astronomy concept of pale blue dot as a means of re-orienting the inmates of the correctional centers for better behavior, such that they would see every individual as one. Hence, the Astro-prison project aims to use astronomy as a tool in achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in Nigerian correctional facilities (NCF). This project targets the correctional centers in Enugu Nigeria located in Enugu, Nsukka and Oji River. The project is designed to cope with the current COVID-19 pandemic by adopting preventive World Health Organization guidelines. This project will adopt the use of English, Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba languages as major communication languages because Nigeria is multi-ethnic. The Astro-prison project targets all inmates and prison warders in the South-East region of Nigeria and the sample size (n) i.e. the number of participants from the prisons will be determined using standard Fischer’s et al. (1998) formula, n = (Z2pq/d2). Our focus will mainly be on inmates who are about completing their terms. Maximum of hundred per correction center. The Astro-prison project will adopt the concept of Pale Blue Dot in bringing astronomy home to the inmates.

Challenges and the developmental gap(s) our project aims to address

Nigeria over the years has been faced with criticisms, both from activists and Human Rights Watch on the way it operates its prisons. One of the major concerns is the negligence of the fundamental rights of its prisoners. In 2019, the federal government of Nigeria in her effort to improve the welfare of inmates enacted a new Act which changed its name from Nigerian prisons service to Nigerian correctional service. The new Act provides clear rules, setting out obligations of the Nigerian Correctional Service and the rights of inmates (https://laws.lawnigeria.com/2019/12/20/nigerian-corrections-services-act-2019/). Before this new Act, Nigeria previously has been faced with criticisms, both from activists and Human Rights Watch on the way it operates its prisons. One of the major concerns is the negligence of the fundamental rights of its prisoners. This project will help the Nigerian government in its prisoners’ education and reformation project. Prisoners are still humans, they deserve healthy living and exposure to the happenings in the real world. The Astro-prison project will help the federal government of Nigeria to achieve its prison reform project started in 2019 and some SDGs as adopted by the United Nations in 2015. It will help prepare the inmates for life after imprisonment, if the inmates are not prepared well in correctional centres, they come out worse. Hence, Psychological defeat is the worst defeat. Because when they are left unattended to, they believe they have nothing to live for, that’s when they get worse. But, through astronomy outreach and skills acquisition, the prisoners are empowered to know there is hope for them in the society, even in confinement and after confinement. This will help them behave well and prepare for life after confinement. The Astro-prison project will also help educate the prisoners and prison warders on ways to improve their wellbeing, especially in the face of health emergency like COVID-19 pandemic.