Skill Acquisition Opportunities and Life Challenges of Incarcerated Juveniles in Correctional Centers in Kogi State

This study investigated skill acquisition and life challenges of incarcerated juveniles in correctional centers in Kogi State. Specifically, the study assessed skill acquisition, personal challenges, and basic juvenile rehabilitation requirements. The population consist of 87 juvenile’s inmates and 1,051 staff. The sample size comprises of all the 87 incarcerated juveniles and 285 staff. Juvenile structured questionnaire (JSQ) was used to collect data. Random and purposive sampling techniques were used to reach a representative sample size for staff. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, mean and standard deviation. Findings on skill acquisition showed that fashion designer (x̄2.60±0.49), laundry (x̄2.47±0.50), cooking (x̄2.89±0.41). Results of home background and personal challenges of incarcerated juveniles revealed that, peer pressure (x̄5.00±0.00), un met needs for physical support and psychological support (x̄4.26±1.32), financial support (x̄4.06±1.60), over-bearing/ parenting (x̄3.95±1.28), lack of family support (x̄3.90±1.55), threats from other relatives (x̄3.70±1.50), aggressiveness and heightened emotionality (x̄3.84±1.48) accounted for more. On basic juvenile requirements, all the twelve scaled items were readily acceptable but trained social workers (x̄4.97±0.18), learners should be allowed to select skill of interest (x̄4.95±0.25), proper funding (x̄4.84±0.37), clean and spacious environment (x̄4.78± 0.42), adequate counselors (x̄4.77±0.42) and provision of juvenile justice system (x̄4.37±0.34) topped. In conclusion, correctional centers in Kogi lack adequate skill-acquisition opportunities and perceived rehabilitation requirements for incarcerated juvenile. These inadequacies have serious effects on social rehabilitation program for juvenile correctional centers. The study therefore recommends that, to equip juveniles and convicted inmates with the necessary survival skills after incarceration, Government should provide adequate skill acquisition for good rehabilitation programs. Parents should provide basic necessities of life at home and be interested in knowing the kinds of friends and behavior wards indulge. Government should also organize adequate training and retraining for staff saddled with the responsibility of rehabilitating incarcerated juveniles in Kogi state periodically on basic managerial skills based on juveniles’ personal unique characteristics.