It has been said that 'the degree of civilization in a society can be judged by entering its prisons." Former president Nelson Mandela agreed with this notion as he himself said, "No one truly knows a nation until one has been inside its jails. It is against this backdrop that various leaders across Africa now say that it is time to re-think criminal law and incarceration on the continent. There are more than 1 million prisoners incarcerated across Africa with most of them living under inhumane, cruel and degrading conditions. Law and justice experts as well as human rights organizations met in Sandton, north of Johannesburg, this week, to discuss possible solutions faced in the correctional and justice systems on the continent. For this conversation we spoke to Chikondi Chijozi - Criminal Justice Lead at the Southern Africa Litigation Centre (SALC)  AND Ogechu Ogu- Deputy Director of Prisoners Rehabilitation and Welfare Action in Nigeria (PRAWA)