Literacy, Information and Communication Technology as Tools for Empowerment of Inmates

inmates inclusive, it requires adequate reading ability to cope with the demands of everyday living. Everybody and the inmates inclusive need digital literacy, computer literacy, multi-media literacy, and E-learning. Functional literacy is highly needed for inmates so as to be empowered and to be successful in life after being released from prisons. A person is said to be functionally literate when he or she has acquired the essential knowledge and skills which enables him or her to engage in all those activities in which literacy is required for effective functioning in his group and community. Reading skill is a key to acquiring knowledge. Literacy is all-important and has received international attention, because In- ternational literacy Day was acknowledged on 8th September 1982 and its observation is mandatory. Everybody knows the effect of illiteracy for hindering effective participation in social, political, economic and technological transformation of the country. Problem that is facing Nigeria is unimaginable low level of literacy and even among the inmates in Nigerian Prisons. In the study conducted by Tenibiaje (2010) on prisons inmates, highlighted that the rate of illiteracy among the inmates in Nigerian Prisons was high. Therefore there is need for prison inmates to be educated and not only that, to be computer literates. The information and communication technology is generally regarded as the super high way through which information is transmitted and shared by people all over the world (Aribisala 2009). It is an indispensable tool for individuals. Individuals and nations have embarked on acquisition and utilization of (ICT) ,therefore it should be incorporated in addition to literacy in Prisons. ICT pro- grammes will increase and equip the inmate’s knowledge and opportunities in empowering them. The knowledge of ICT has improved technology in Nigeria positively in the area of economy, social and educative life of Nigerians. Information and communication technology, introduces individuals to computers, auxiliary equipment software, hardware, services and resources inter-connected together to form network that is used in the automatic acquisition, storage, manipulation, managements, move- ment, control, display, switching, interchange, transmission or reception of data or informati- on(Omotoso2009). Ministerial Council of Education Employment and youth Affairs in Australia (2005) emphasized that engagement of prisoners in specific educational processes involving the use of ICT is necessary if they are to have opportunity to acquire the knowledge. Mossberger, Tolbert, & Stansbury (2003) concluded that effective access to ICT will significantly enhances a person to make well- informed career decisions and to have access to career-related lifelong learning. Warschauer (2003) opined that the ability to access, adapt, and create new knowledge using ICT is critical to social inclusion in today’s era. The conclusion reached by Mossberger et. al (2003)and Warschauer (2003) indicated that offenders’ motivation and capacity to achieve social inclusion after release from custody would be greatly diminished by their exclusion, during incarceration, from opportunities to learn how to use contemporary information and communication technology for legitimate employment-related purposes. The need for people to access ICT effectively, in order to enhance their employment