The Incarceration of Juvenile Delinquents with Adult Offenders in Nigeria: Any Criminogenic and Developmental Needs

Abstract

Over a century ago, the establishment and subsequent development of juvenile justice system presented a paradigm shift in handling of juvenile offenders. Some of the reforms brought out required changes to the level it is today, like enthronement of the rights of the juvenile through various landmark supreme court decisions in America (Marion & Oliver, 2012; Mallett & Tedor, 2019). Some other “major reform efforts in juvenile justice have focused on reducing the use of detention and secure confinement; improving conditions of confinement; closing large institutions and reinvesting in community-based programs; providing high-quality, evidence-based services for youth in the juvenile justice system; reducing racial/ethnic disparities; retaining most offending juveniles in the juvenile justice system rather than transferring them to the criminal justice system; improving delivery of defense services; and developing system-wide juvenile justice planning and collaboration” (National Academies of Sciences, 2013, p.241).