SERVICE-LEARNING PROJECT ON WRITING LETTERS TO INMATES AT THE STATE CORRECTIONAL SERVICE FACILITY IN OYO STATE, NIGERIA

According to Søndenaa, Erik, Wangsholm, Marit, and Roos, Eirik (2016), important aspect of communication between correctional authorities and convicted individuals presupposes the ability to read and write... Offenders with reading and writing difficulties have a vulnerable status in prison because as depend rely some various of assistance for communication.” communication. D. Senese Senese's publication, inmate Inmate Management: among Among Jail Employees, the Journal of Criminal Justice Justice, posited suggested “findings most employees believe that officers are effective inmate in managing inmates, yet concurrently simultaneously that ineffective communication the and social service staff staff.

- Image credit: Frontpage of the book 'The Prison Letters of Nelson Mandela' 

Considering my major in Communication, I chose a project centered on communicating with inmates to provide them with hope and help them plan for life after incarceration. My service-learning project involves writing letters to inmates at the state correctional facility in Oyo State, Nigeria. It is well-known that many inmates in correctional centers rarely receive communication from their loved ones during their time in prison. This initiative aims to assist the government in promoting effective rehabilitation of inmates by ensuring they receive consistent motivational letters. I am convinced that it will be beneficial for the inmates to have access to encouraging letters, Christian literature, and the motivational letter written to them. 

The inmates benefit initially, and subsequently, the correctional service and society as a whole benefit. When inmates regularly read encouraging material on a weekly basis, they feel better, which helps them improve themselves and make decisions to become better individuals in the future. One major challenge I faced was accessing the correctional facility and compiling suitable content for each letter intended for specific inmates. Fortunately, I overcame this challenge by seeking guidance from a senior official. The official provided valuable information and recommended conducting further research on the correctional facility and the selected inmates. Additionally, the senior official offered to share insights and details about the facility and assist in gathering more information about the inmates. By implementing the skills I learned in ENG 101, I was able to apply basic communication and critical thinking skills to propose solutions as stated above, initiate them in the process of execution, and complete the project successfully by delivering precisely two batches of letters to five inmates with positive feedback from the inmates. One mistake I made at the onset had to do with the content of the letter. I decided to start the letter by sharing a general message to introduce myself and also inform them about the purpose and content of the letters. It turned out to be not a good idea, as it seems they were all expecting personalized letters from the beginning. However, the lessons learned from this experience contributed to the significant success achieved with the second batch. 

I was able to craft letters that addressed individuals and encouraged them in ways that resonated with them personally. It was indeed a huge success, as all five inmates wrote back expressing their sincere appreciation for the kind gesture. The officials at the correctional center were also very friendly and helpful during the project. They assisted me in obtaining essential information about the chosen inmates and ensured that their letters were delivered promptly. The feedback letters were also delivered accurately. In conclusion, the project turned out as expected and even better. I will be sharing the idea with a non-governmental organization in my community to continue the project and eventually expand to serve ten or more inmates.

 

Source/References: 

1. Søndenaa, Erik & Wangsholm, Marit & Iversen, Valentina. (2015). Failing Communication with Inmates: An Explorative Study of the Content of the Letters from the Correctional Services. Open Journal of Social Sciences. 3. 144-149. 10.4236/jss.2015.33023. 

2. Jeffrey D. Senese, Communications and inmate management: Interactions among jail employees. Journal of Criminal Justice, Volume 19, Issue 2, 1991, Pages 151-163, 

3. Social-scientific study of prisoners and prison Management. https://www.acrosswalls.org/section/communicative-walls/economic-analysis/communication-research/ 

4. Søndenaa, Erik & Wangsholm, Marit & Roos, Eirik. (2016). Case Characteristics of Prisoners with Communication Problems. Open Journal of Social Sciences. 04. 31-37. 10.4236/jss.2016.44005. 

5. National Guideline Centre (UK). Physical Health of People in Prison: Assessment, Diagnosis and Management of Physical Health Problems. London: National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE); 2016 Nov. (NICE Guideline, No. 57.) 6, Coordination and communication.