ASSESSING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF REHABILITATION COUNSELLING IN ENHANCING SOCIAL REINTEGRATION READINESS AMONG INMATES IN KOGI STATE, NIGERIA

The purpose of the study is to examine the effectiveness of rehabilitation Counselling in enhancing social reintegration readiness among inmates in Kogi State. This study adopted ex-post facto research design to assess the effectiveness of rehabilitation counselling on social reintegration readiness among near discharged inmates in Correctional Centres in Kogi State, Nigeria. Two hypotheses, based on the research questions were formulated to guide the study. The selection was carried out using census sampling technique. A questionnaire titled: Rehabilitation Counselling and Social Re-integration Readiness Scale (RCSRRS) was the instrument used for data collection. The instrument was subjected to face validity by experts in Measurement and Evaluation. The reliability estimate of the instrument was established through Cronbach Alpha and the reliability coefficients ranged from 0.77 and 0.88. Simple regression analysis was adopted to test the hypotheses at .05 level of significance. The result of the analysis revealed that vocational and educational rehabilitation contributed some percentages in explaining the variances in social reintegration readiness among near discharged inmates in Correctional Centres in Kogi State. Based on the findings of the study, it was recommended, among others, that, educational programmes should be promoted in order to help the inmates acquire knowledge and values that will transform their thinking and change their perception about life for productive social engagement.