CHAPTER ONE
1.1     INTRODUCTION
The increasing desire of the government and civilization to improve the maintenance of law and order and to engage in crime prevention, has led to the search for data on all aspect of crime. This will enable the government to know whether crime is increasing or decreasing.
Crime in a normal sense is an act or offence which is punishable by law. Crime is a term used to describe any act that breaks a society. Some examples of crimes are robbery, kidnapping, raping, theft etc.
Therefore, anyone that violet the law should be arrested, tried and immediately sentenced to some time in prison if and only if found guilty. The prison is where criminals are supposed to be reformed and learn to obey the rules and regulation set down or order to govern the society properly.
Despite the efforts of security agencies to curb crime in our society, the rate of crime is increasing at alarming rate. This indeed has been the common practice in the society especially within the youths. Many measures had been taken to eradicate this abnormal behavior from our society, nevertheless, the condition still remain the same as this criminal cases occur day in day out in the society.
Prison is a place where people who are convicted by the law court are being kept to await trial. It is a house built by the government in order to detain anybody who goes against the law.
CLASSIFICATION OF CRIME
Crime can be classified in many ways, but some of them are:
Crime against people: This include rape, kidnapping, murder (homicide), robbery etc, such crimes usually carries severe punishment.
Crime against property: Automobile, fraud, forgery, vandalism and robbery. In most cases these crimes may carry higher penalties than crime against people.
Crime against public and morality order: This include disorderly conduct, gambling, prostitution, public drunkenness etc
These offences generally involve bigger penalties.
CAUSES OF CRIME
Crimes are caused by many factors. Criminologist in their studies enumerated the causes of crime as psychological, sociological and heredity etc. While to the prison officers, crime is regarded as a human reaction to his environment, for example, some crimes are caused by the following factor:
Economy: This is a good cause of crime in our country, Nigeria. Without employment many had roam the town and in consequence the devil offers them employment in crimes especially property crimes.
After-War-Effect: After the civil war, many youths who have been trained in the use of arms were left unemployed as a result of that crime and violence increase. The drift from the rural to urban areas and the corresponding unemployment brought about frustration and with the resultant poverty, destitution and lack of the barest necessity of life, the youths resort to crime and this appears to be gainful.
Political Activities: Due to the political immaturity of the masses in the Nigeria scene, political campaigns and elections are regrettably atrocious. Crimes such as murder, looting, corruption and rioting amongst others were among the factors the encouraged criminal activities in our society.
In most cases, the law enforcement agencies are incapable of action especially when the rich or influential politicians are concerned or when the political party in power is concerned associated with this also are embezzlement of public funds through contracts, nepotism and corruption in distribution of public offices and privileges. These are notorious acts.