Tamara, 18
Real names withheld for the purpose of privacy.
Disclaimer: WIPSI does not support or condone criminal activities in any capacity. Our mission is to ensure fair punishment aligns with the severity of the crime while also working to educate those lacking access to justice and victims of ignorance, prioritizing the wellbeing of society and the individuals involved.
When it comes to prison, it almost always seems like it is a well of touching stories waiting to be drawn from. Prison really brings out a part of you you never thought you’d see and your identity seen from the lens of what got you in Prison in the first place. It makes things worse when what got you in prison is not as clear cut as it seems, any of the prisoners we spoke with would tell you that. Prison halts every aspiration in life you thought you had and sometimes it takes strong resolve to intentionally break through and make the best out of that situation. Other times, it takes people, strangers even to take an interest in you and what you have to say even when you are in the wrong.
Being 18 is something every teenager looks forward to. It’s a time for self-discovery and adventure. Tamara is currently spending her time of “self-discovery and adventure” in the walls of the female correctional center at Surulere, Ondo town. It’s been quite a time for her in prison. Before prison, she lived with her mother and had a job as a sales person at a petrol station. When we sat down to draw from this well, she told us that her employer had not paid her salary and insisted there was a shortage in the money she was to pay and insisted she pay. However, the reason for her arrest wasn’t that she hadn’t paid the money she owed rather, she was arrested for threatening the life of her employer and that of his wife and children.
As an organization deeply committed to upholding the sanctity of accusations involving individuals’ lives, we conducted checks by contacting her mum, and her lawyer as well as getting an admission of guilt from the inmate herself and confirmed the veracity of the claims. Part of our checks was ensuring that her admission of guilt in the statement she provided was not obtained under duress – and it was not. However, aligning with our core principles, we find it imperative to extend our outreach to include individuals who may have been wrongfully accused. We believe that the aim of the law is not to destroy, rather, it is to correct, therefore, we went ahead to to make sure that this inmate receives proper correction and is reintegrated into society as an improved version of themselves, In the case of this 18-year-old girl, she expressed genuine remorse and a strong desire to clarify to her employer that she never intended to act on the threats made.
Our approach was straightforward. We engaged in a conversation with the inmate’s mother, who guided us to the employer’s residence. Advocating for the inmate, we successfully persuaded the complainant, her employer, to withdraw the case. Additionally, we coordinated with the inmate’s legal representative to strategize for the upcoming court date, where we will provide the magistrate with a detailed report on the agreement progress with the complainant and discuss the necessary steps to secure her bail.
This is our current status in this narrative, and we’re actively working towards the upcoming court appearance and ensuring the inmate’s bail is processed this week. We’re committed to monitoring and updating this story as it progresses, providing thorough and timely reports on its developments.
