Journalof Criminal Justice zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcbaZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA Vol. 16, pp. 197-206 (1988) All rights reserved. Printed in U.S.A. 0047-2352188 $3.00 + .OO Copyright 01988 Pergamon Press plc SOCIOECONOMIC AND CRIMINOLOGICAL ATTRIBUTES OF CONVICTS IN TWO NIGERIAN PRISONS ETANNIBI ‘MOLU ALEMIKA Department of Sociology University of Jos Private Mail Bag 2084 Jos, Nigeria ABSTRACT This article examines the socioeconomic backgrounds, patterns of offense seriousness, and sociolegal correlates of length of prison sentence of a sample of convicts in two Nigerian prisons. Presentation of the empirical analysis is preceded by an outline of Nigeria’s socioeconomic and politicolegal structures to provide a systemic appraisal of the nation’s crime and penological features. The results of the investigation show that the inmate population is drawn from the young, poorly educated, and politically and economically disadvantaged groups. The lengths of prison sentences imposed on the convicts were found to be related to type of crime, age, preincarceration income level, and prior record. Older convicts, those convicted of violent property crimes, and lower- income earners generally received longer prison sentences. Paradoxically, convicts with prior conviction records gener- ally received shorter prison sentences. INTRODUCTION The socioeconomic characteristics of prison inmates, the patterns of offense seri- ousness among convicts, and patterns of criminal justice dispositional outcomes re- veal much about the sociopolitical, eco- nomic, and legal structures of a society. Therefore, the types of crimes for which inmates are incarcerated, their socioeco- nomic backgrounds, and the sociolegal corre- lates of the lengths of their sentences provide considerable insights into (1) the character of the society’s laws, (2) the types of conduct most subject to control by criminal law enforcement, and (3) the groups who are most vulnerable to criminality, legal surveil- lance, and imprisonment. This knowledge may also lead to an appreciation of a nation’s crime problem in relation to its sociopolitical and economic structure. This article examines the socioeconomic and criminological backgrounds of a sample of convicts in two Nigerian prisons. An analysis of (1) the pattern of offense serious- ness among the inmates and (2) the so- ciolegal correlates of the lengths of their sentences is presented. To show how soci- etal factors determine which socioeconomic groups are processed through the criminal justice system and how they are treated, the relevant features of Nigeria’s political, socioeconomic, and legal structures are discussed. 197