Prison counseling as panacea for national reintegration of incarcerated youths

The call for national reintegration of Nigerian youths is a responsibility shared by all, including the guidance counselors. Globally, the best way to reintegrate imprisoned youths into the society has been a major issue facing national governments, correctional officers and the society at large. The studies reviewed in the present study show that counseling has been an effective approach in the rehabilitation of incarcerated clients through its programs and services in different parts of the world. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to present prison counseling as a panacea for national reintegration of incarcerated youths into the Nigerian society. Based on the outcome of the review, it was recommended among others that the government should reinforce the place of guidance counselors through employment in correctional institutions, funding of counseling interventions for incarcerated persons and most importantly by licensure of the counseling profession in Nigeria.