Department of Conflict Resolution Studies Theses and Dissertations
Date of Award
2024
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy
Department
Halmos College of Arts and Sciences - Department of Conflict Resolution Studies
First Advisor
Ismael Muvingi
Second Advisor
Robin Cooper
Third Advisor
Urszula Strawinska-Zanko
Keywords
Nigeria, Qualitative Narrative Research, Reconciliation, Relationship, State Responsibility, Wrongful Conviction
Abstract
Wrongfully convicted persons in Nigeria experience numerous harms and losses from their wrongful convictions and face various challenges after their exoneration and release from prison. These adverse effects occur on multiple levels of the wrongfully convicted persons’ relationships and impact these relationships in profound ways. Although legal remedies exist to deal with the aftermath of wrongful convictions in Nigeria, they are grossly inadequate. Reconciliation, an innovative, holistic, and restorative measure, is required to address the impact of these devastating experiences and repair the affected relationships. Grounded in the social contract, human needs, and restorative justice theories, this study employed a qualitative narrative approach to explore with 10 wrongfully convicted persons in Southern Nigeria their perspectives of reconciliation with the Nigerian state. The study findings revealed that the wrongful convictions and incarceration of the participants alienated them from the Nigerian state and disconnected them from other vital relationships. The study also found that the participants held the Nigerian state responsible for their wrongful convictions and believed that the state should restore them and repair their ruptured relationship. The study findings suggest the need for a deeper understanding of the adverse effects of wrongful convictions in Nigeria and an exploration of reconciliation processes to address the post-exoneration challenges of wrongfully convicted and exonerated persons in the country. The insights gained from the study could also stimulate the interest of critical stakeholders in considering the concept of state responsibility for wrongdoing in the aftermath of conflict in the Nigerian criminal justice system.
NSUWorks Citation
Chinyere Erica Chisom. 2024. Reconciling with the State: A Narrative Inquiry into the Perspectives of Reconciliation of Wrongfully Convicted Persons in Southern Nigeria. Doctoral dissertation. Nova Southeastern University. Retrieved from NSUWorks, Halmos College of Arts and Sciences - Department of Conflict Resolution Studies. (246)
https://nsuworks.nova.edu/shss_dcar_etd/246.
