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Ashoka Fellow since 2024   |   Nigeria

Funke Adeoye

Hope Behind Bars Africa
Funke is actively working to transform the Nigerian prison experience from a punitive to a restorative one.
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This description of Funke Adeoye's work was prepared when Funke Adeoye was elected to the Ashoka Fellowship in 2024.

Introduction

Funke is actively working to transform the Nigerian prison experience from a punitive to a restorative one.

The New Idea

Funke is transforming the entire prison experience by engaging directly with inmates, offering legal aid, providing psychosocial support, and introducing innovative income-generating initiatives within the prison walls. The focus is on changing the mindset of prisoners, particularly those inRead more

The Problem

According to the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCS), Nigeria has 240 prisons that house a little above 77,000 inmates. These prisons were originally designed to accommodate approximately 50,000 inmates, but due to government corruption, persistent mismanagement, and the failure of the courtRead more

The Strategy

Funke’s holistic strategy involves providing legal support to inmates, creating economic opportunities for inmates through her Inside Out hubs, cooperating with government officials at different levels, starting with officers in the prisons and moving up to top government officials, and engagingRead more

The Person

Funke grew up in a family of eight , and she was often teased as being her father’s favourite. As a young child, her father suffered an unfair incarceration due to a defective justice system and he lost his job afterwards. This experience formed a major thrust to her wanting to become a lawyer toRead more