IMPRISONMENTS’ INTENDED AND UNINTENDED EFFECTS

INTRODUCTION

Although most prison sentences are imposed either routinely or because they are regarded as the offenders deserts, the sentences sometimes has hopes that incarceration will have a beneficial effect. On the other side of the coin, are the unwanted effects of imprisonment, the prison officials may make efforts to reduce the unwanted foreseeable but have mostly permanent impact on the life of the prisoner.

 Individual Deterrence

The usual hope is that the experience of imprisonment will be so unpleasant a memory that it will be on effective individual deterrent. Prima faire, this seems quite likely. For most offenders their first prison experience is humiliating, frustrating, depressing and boring; and while they may learn how to cope with it psychologically they nevertheless fear a repetition of it. It is only hardened criminals that will not care about it. It seems that only those who have just experienced their first connection would seem to have in some way encouraged to avoid another connection, at least for some period of time, compulsive or habitual hardened criminals are not expected to be deterred or scared of a conviction or imprisonment, and so it does not deter the habitual offender, for those category of people something else ought to be done for them. However in practice, sentences feel obliged to impose yet another prison term, sometimes in order to maintain the credibility of prison as a general deterrent, sometimes to protect others, sometimes because they regard it as deserved or because there is no other option available to them.

The Pains of Imprisonment

The major and very important reason for ascribing imprisonment as a deterrent is what Sykes (1958) referred to as “pains of imprisonment” these are: -

1. Deprivation of Freedom – the freedom of the offender is immediately curtained within the far walls of a prison, he is mostly confined within a small space called call. His visits to the open air are restrained by the minutes. These internal restrictions are not intentional but to prevent escape from the prison. 
2. Restriction and Drinks – The food and drinks taken in prison is different from what the prisoner would prefer to eat and certainly provided in approved rations and quality, no special drink or beverage is served, and the pains of these deprivation will affect the new inmates in very great measure, but he may adopt as time goes on. 
3. His Purchasing Power is Limited – even if the prisoner has money to spend, the list of what he may buy are limited within the prison, and may certainly not be able to enjoy all the luxurious items he is used to. 
4.  He is not allowed to keep drugs even analgesic, laxative or sleeping pill for fear of its being misused. His contact with family and friends outside is very limited. Initially, the friends and family may wish to visit quite often, but by the time they are subjected to series of formalities e.g. writing of application, approval, interview etc before they can see their imprisoned family, they will be discouraged 
5. He is forced to associate with other prisoners, whose tastes and values may be very different from his. Some of them will be dangerous, some violent some wicked, he may become target of homosexual attacks. His choice of friends is curtailed. 
6.  He loses what Sykes called “autonomy”, the power of choice in every day matters. He must get up, wash, eat, work, exercise etc at times fixed by the regulations not at his own option and time. Lack of choice may be damaging psychologically that the ex- prisoner may find it difficult to make choices again when he is free. 

 Prison Work

Much research has been conducted to ascertain the usefulness of the prison work. Compulsory labour is banned in most advanced countries, but prison labour is exempted. Sentences are permitted to go with hard labour, but the labour being referred to here is not the type where the prisoner is subjected to punitive labour but a form of activity that is mostly productive and fills the idle time experienced in the prison. The prisoners are mostly engaged in cleaning, washing, cooking, painting etc. many are also involved in craftsmanship and some prisons encourage the training and production of various items like bags, decorative items etc. which can be sold if the proceedes are given to the inmates. The places of the prison while has been find to be places of serious conflicts and fights, but prisons without work would became frustrating and restless.

Re-Religious Influence

It is now a prevalent result of imprisonment that more inmates are turning to the Lord. Many found the time to reflect on their way of life; and repent to follow the Lord. Many become pastors in the prison, and

eventually change into dignified citizens, some enroll in Bible Colleges from the prisons, while those that are Muslim also move closer to their God. Prison life sometimes has the religious changing effect on many even after prison experience.

 Behaviour Modification

Sometimes depending on the prison and the period spent, it is found that most ex-prisoners hardly ever are the same; they are either changed for the better or worse. In most cases, the behaviour is permanently modified, their psychological intention and makeup will be affected by many factors in the prison and many cause irreparable damage to the psyche of the ex-prisoner. It is important that there should be regular psychological checks on all prisoners at regular intervals. There have been cases of attempted suicide, and mental breakdowns in the prisons which indicates series mental disturbances due to the prisoner status being experienced by the inmates.

 Social Skills and Recreation

Most prisoners have a spare-time activity in which they invest a lot of interest and even much of their earring. This is most evident amongst youth prisoners and in prisons where medium and long sentences are served. In the training recreations. There are playing fields, educational opportunities, and technical training which help motivate and encourage the prisoners, keep them from mischief’s, fills the idle time and generally enable the prisoners acquire new skills.

Damage to Physical Health

This happens and is very prevalent in Nigeria Prison System as a result of malnutrition in sanitary conditions, cold heat, excessively hard labour or inhuman disciplinary measures. In most Nigeria Prison there is serious overcrowding to an extent that the prisons are holding more six times the under of inmate they are built to accommodate; in this condition the prisoners are subjected to extreme conditions that are not only health threatening but also life threatening. Another associated problem is that the inmates are easily exposed to attacks from other inmates for space and air, and may die for suffocation and failing health. There are no adequate health facilities and personnel in the prisons heading to permanent health problems even post prison life.

The very hash conditions often head to breakdown in mental stability, and may do go totally insane and has to be taken to asylums.

Problems

From studies carried out in some British Prisons by Richards (1978), he itemized some common problems prevalent in the life of the inmates of a prison, these are:
missing somebody,
Feeling that your life is being wasted
Feeling sexually frustrated
Missing little luxurious
Hosing your self – confidence
Feeling angry with the world,
Being afraid of dying before you get out,
Being afraid of going mad,
Feeling suicidal.
Fear of losing loved ones.

 Schools for Crime

Many researchers have come up with the findings that prisons are merely schools for perfecting and breeding criminals and enemies of the society.

This may be true in some cases, but in most cases it may not be the factual situation. Clearly it is possible that prisoners acquire from each other ideas, techniques and personnel contacts which lead them into subsequent offences but quite pleural, these ideas if it had worked could not have handed them in the prison; invariably majority of the prisoners are less likely to be influenced by such ideas.

Marital Relations

The general impression had been that imprison always invariably lead to marital breakdown. But recent studies have revealed that on the contratry in most cases, it has drawn the couple closer and the marriage stronger. It is discovered that the wives always have the hope that their husbands will soon come back to them. On the other hand many men worry about

the fidelity of their wives and are valuable to machineries gossip. Both husbands and wives, being young, suffer from sexual deprivation during the sentence. The only positive aspect is that it makes both appreciate themselves sexually when united.

Families

What must not be ignored is the hardship often experienced by prisoners families. The absence of some fathers can be a relief, but in most cases wives and in most cases too financially.

CONCLUSION

From all indications it is easy to exaggerate the unwanted effect of prisons and to be tempted to assume that the harm far outweighs the positive effects on the prisoner. Much of the unwanted effect may not actually be of a permanent nature and the ex-convict may quickly overcome it and continue his normal life. But where the effect is deep like mental breakdown, it may not be possible to conclude that the term of imprisonment is of more beneficial effect on the prisoner.

 SUMMARY

We have been able to examine the effect of imprisonment on the offender, both the negative and positive aspect of it, and from the works of researchers, the positive aspects of imprisonment may in the long run out though its negative aspects.