Human Dignity in Islamic Ethics and Its Application to Prisoner Welfare in Nigerian Correctional Services

This study investigates the concept of human dignity in Islamic ethics and its practical application to prisoner welfare in Nigerian correctional service facilities. Islamic ethics places human dignity (Karamah) as a fundamental and inviolable principle, offering a normative framework relevant to the reform of correctional practices. The study employs a qualitative applied ethics design, using document analysis of Islamic jurisprudential texts, semi-structured interviews with 15 Muslim correctional officers and 10 prison chaplains, and observation notes from two correctional facilities in Kano and Abuja. Data were analysed using Islamic ethical framework analysis and thematic coding. Findings reveal that while Islamic teachings on prisoner dignity are well-articulated in classical scholarship, their translation into institutional practice within Nigerian correctional services is minimal and unsystematic. Muslim inmates report differential access to religious observance facilities and inadequate halal food provision. The study recommends the formalisation of an Islamic prisoner welfare protocol within the Nigeria Correctional Service, training of staff in Islamic human dignity principles, and the appointment of certified Islamic chaplains in facilities with significant Muslim populations. These findings contribute to the literature on faith-based correctional reform in Nigeria. Keywords: human dignity, Islamic ethics, prisoner welfare, correctional services, Nigeria.