In Nigeria, prisons are perceived as places where criminals are sent to be punished, however, this only works in theory. Oftentimes, after ‘punishment’ is meted and they are subsequently released, these individuals fall back into the same (or progressively worse) patterns of criminal activities. This proofs that our criminal laws ought to go beyond the scope of punishment to reformation. This is where our Woman Crush Wednesday, Funke Adeoye, comes in.
Funke is a public interest lawyer who is also the founder and executive director of Hope Behind Bars Africa, a community of volunteers building a social profit organisation committed to restoring justice, dignity and hope to the lives of women and men living behind bars. According to the website: “One day people behind bars in Africa will be housed in true correctional facilities with all their humane needs been met and no inmate will be denied access to justice because of indigence.”
With a laser focus mission, Funke seeks “To provide access to justice to indigent inmates and to improve the reformation, welfare & well-being of humans behind bars through innovative interventions, effective collaborations and advocacy.” Ultimately the goal is to treat these inmates like humans and help them be better citizens after their release.
Currently, she has been able to build a team of more than twenty volunteers, with five custodial centres, more than sixty trained legal service providers and reached out to over a thousand beneficiaries.
We commend her vision and her praiseworthy work.