#OurValentineProbonoServiceToAnInmate Doors Opened And She Is Released.

                     Vivian Onukwufor (covered up in sweats as pictures were being taken in one of Nigeria's Prisons.

Just Yesterday, my team and i felt very glad and a little fulfilled ( as we have more to go) to offer a probono service to an inmate whom we knew that the doors of the courtroom may not  be easily pried open to her inablity to access legal services. When these Prison Doors Open And You’re Released. You Have No Money Or Transportation. Now What?

 In Nigeria and elsewhere, inmates walking out of prison or jail alone are slapped in the face with the immediate urgency of navigating transportation, shelter, food, and other basic needs.“Just not having a plan, not having a place to be. You gravitate toward survival.

Yesterday, as i gazed into the eyes of this pretty woman, the shock in her eyes, the tears, the laughter when she was told by the keeper "a lawyer, vivian onukwufor has come to take you home'' According to her she said she could not believe it. After being in the prison on a holding charge for 2 years!!! (Lol @holding charge, what law is that?)Too many Questions i ask myself each time there is a release. There is no greater satisfaction i can get than when legal services are rendered free of charge to inmates who have lost it all especially to crimes they never committed. Charges are cooked up, statements are rewritten, conspiracies, which only a few reader on the surface can point out the deception.

I am particularly more interested in how these people cope after release from incarceration. For the guilty, There are definitely people on the streets who are gonna take advantage of that. And then boom, you’ve done all these work pre-release to reduce somebody’s risk and it skyrockets the second they step away from the facility. They have a High risk for committing new crimes and ending up back behind bars. Or ending up homeless, or substance dependent, or back in whatever place the individual was before they went to prison or jail.

 The lady who was released yesterday was a favoured one, knowing the shame she could feel begging for alms or a lift, or giving up her body just for shelter, all that was averted because a Godfearing man provided her with the basics. she was fully given a cab to her destination, some cash that would enable her fit in quickly in the society. I was shocked at the level of assistance she got from my law firm. 

I believe that there are certain things the government, philanthropist, corporate organisations, politicians, religious bodies  can do to keep inmates busy while awaiting trial because whether we like it or not, one day they will be released. Back to you.

  They have to be prepped for their release with a plan that addresses the most fundamental hurdles of securing housing and clothing, meeting with their probation officer where applicable and meeting their medical needs. 

Conventional wisdom is that the majority of individuals in most places should be released with somewhere to go, with some transportation assistance, alleviating at least a portion of the initial stress of release and not the idea of the prison warders scavenging for the little money they can get from these inmates upon their release. 

''Happy Valentine's day she says to me'' last years i spent them in darkness. But today am free''. My team and i wish her a successful life in abundance and pray we pray for God's protection through out our daily lives.

Long live @ Team LV(Lili & Viv)