A groundbreaking initiative has been launched in Abia State, southern Nigeria, to train prison inmates in compassion.
The programme hopes to eventually train over 8000 prisoners at the Umuahia Custodial Centre in how to offer compassion to themselves and others as well as in skills that can increase their employability upon release.
The project has been spearheaded by Compassion Connectors Nigeria,
Research shows that the biggest predictors of recidivism by released prisoners is a lack of employable skills combined with difficulties integrating back into society. The latter issue is often compounded by a sense of alienation felt by the prisoners.
The Compassion Champions program aims at tackling both of these deficits by not only equipping prisoners with technical skills – such as in carpentry, digital design, and plumbing – but also helping them to cultivate their compassion for self and others. This emotional toolkit can help individuals address some of the impulses and thought processes that contributed to their original offense as well as helping them better communicate with and relate to others.
Compassion Connectors Nigeria hopes that the success of this programme in Umuahia will demonstrate the value of a fresh approach to the treatment of prison inmates. They are encouraging other authorities across Nigeria to engage with them, learn about the programme, and launch similar initiatives at their own custodial centres.