Topic: Values and Beliefs

Issue: Human rights and prisoners

Do criminals deserve their rights to be obligated even in prison.

Criminals are people who have been convicted of a crime or for

committing an offense.
Obligation is an act of action to which a person is morally bound.

Introduction
(The High Commissioner United Nations, OHCHR), all prisoners should be
treated with the respect inherited, with dignity and value as for being
human. There shall be no such discrimination on the basis for belief of
race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or
social origin, property, birth or status or the crimes they have committed.

Global Perspective

Bahrain
On the 7th of August to 30th of September, (The Bahrain Institue for Rights
and Democracy 2024) reported that a hunger strike of hundreds of Bahrain
prisoners in Bahrain's Jau Prison entered its third week of the hunger strike
that began with 400+ prisoners had reached to at least 743 fighting for their
rights. (The New York Times ,2023) that the strike was started by what
prisoners and their relatives say were poor conditions, medical neglect with
limited visitation rights and inside the country's largest prisons, they refused
their meals in favor of their protest. The government went onto to deny
those claims, saying that everything is in line with international standards to
which officials announced modification in an increased time prisoners could
spend outside though the strike had lasted nearly a month. The strike was
later resolved with prison officials making promises to make changes where
the strike was suspended until 30 September 2023 to allow the promised to
be executed.

Mexico
(Human Rights Watch 2021). The justice system in Mexico regularly fail to
make certain due to process for those accused of crimes. Police and
prosecutors time and again use arraigo detention Arrigo method allowing
them to acquire judicial authorization to hold anyone for up to 40 days
without charge for interrogation. The UN affirm that arbitrary detention
remained an all-round practice in Mexico and is frequently the catalyst for
ill-treatment, enforced disappearance and arbitrary executions. Even with
the legal reforms aided by the Working Group and the Inter-American Court
of Human Rights, they disclosed that excessive use of pre-trial detention
continues and remains mandatory under the Mexican Constitution for a
sizeable list of crimes.

Australia
Australian Human Rights Commission stated that prison conditions within
Australia raised significant human rights concerns some being:
 Inhuman and overcrowding conditions in prisons.
(United Nations Human Rights Committee) discovered that the
treatment of a native juvenile in an NSW prison totaling to inhuman
Treatment. The over
 Insufficient physical and mental health services. Keeping introverted
prisoners confined has intensified symptoms of some prisoners with
mental illnesses along with others.
(The Human Rights Law Center 2012) the alliance called on the Committee
into Australia’s complaisance with the Convection Against Toture to
mention that all levels of government promised to make changes with the
prison system.
Over the long term, a Human Rights Act would be a powerful tool to
encourage a stronger human rights culture through promoting respect and
greater understanding for people among all in Australia.
National Perspective

Niger
Niger has one of the most life-threatening prison and detention center
conditions due to overcrowding, insufficient sanitary conditions, medical
attention, and attacks by terrorist organizations (U.S. Department of State
2022). It's also observed by Human Rights Officials that overcrowding
remains a widespread problem and the government reported in 2019 that
there were 10,723 prisoners in 41 prisons structured to hold 10,555 people.
These observers reported that prisons of Niamey and Diffa were
proportionally designed to hold 445 and 100 people, but in 2021 held 1,451
and 432 prisoners proportionately. Prisons have been found to have 300
percent above capacity. Prisoners also continued to sleep in the courtyard
of Kollo Prison due to lack of space in the ward.
Prison officials held female inmates in different quarters that were less
crowded and somewhat cleaner than men’s quarters. Prison deaths were
regular, some from meningitis, malaria, tuberculosis and COVID-19 yet no
statistics were available to add on, heavy rains and flash floods increased a
nationwide cholera outbreak suspected of causing several prison deaths.
National Guard troops were allocated rotationally as prison guards for six
months at but had little or no prisoner-set training though the law mandates
a specialized body of prison guards and management of the Ministry of
Justice, authorities did little to implement this transition.

Causes
Violence is an everyday reality in many prisons and has many causes. The
vastly crowded living conditions lead to warfare amongst inmates which
can lead to major fractions and the tedious prison environment with lack of
mind and body occupying activities and just plain boredom led to compiled
frustrations. This environment led to the way of high-risk activities like use
of sexual activities between men, drugs tattooing and other “blood brother”
activities (International Committee of the Red Cross 2001).
Overcrowding in African prisons have become a norm and a nightmare.
Problems emanating to prison overcrowding in Africa have been studied
and there has been a death of specific data on the capacity of each prison.
Morocco, Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Algeria have experienced remarkable
increases in prison population which is one of the major reasons.
Poor healthcare of inmates is always an upheaval in prison and in Africa,
poor access to healthcare amongst inmates has led to the spread of
communicable diseases. There had been a soaring level of concerns about
how Africa controlled and managed the COVID-19 pandemic due to the
absence of vaccines and drugs. Lack of access to healthcare professionals
for consultation, an inadequate supply of medications, and other
fundamental issues led to infuriated health problems in prisons.

Consequences
The problem of overcrowding can lead to several human rights violations
and dangerous conditions that amount to the ill-treatment of prisoners
many who are pre-trial detainees (United Nations Human Rights Council,
2015). Prison overcrowding can also lead to chaos, increased tension,
violence, infectious diseases and health problems, self-harm and suicide as
well as significant management challenges (UNDOC, 2013).
Prisons often do not meet basic standards, and many prison staff believe
harsh treatment to be a legitimate way to deal with prisoners. The prison
living conditions in a prison are among the core factors determining a
prisoner’s self- esteem and dignity and those experiencing punitive
conditions and mistreatment are likely to return to society psychologically
shattered or in poor or worse state of physical and mental health that when
they entered. Humane prison conditions reduce the generality of violence in
prisons (Penal Reform International, 2013).
The health care and status of prisoners is regarded as something insular,
something of no concern to and uniquely fragmented from the general
population but over 95% of liberated individuals will often follow along for
correctional health is community health. The communities to which inmates
will return overwhelmingly have low-income communities of color and often
lack adequate health care resources (Issues in Science and Tecnology,
2013).
Problem solving
The Nelson Mandela Rules: The are based on a responsibility to treat all
prisoners with respect for their inherent dignity and value as human beings,
and to prohibit torture and other forms of the twentieth centuries. The
revised rules reflected international human rights standards adopted in the
1950s resulting in states with detailed guidelines on protecting the rights of
citizens deprived of their liberty, from pre-trial detainees to sentenced
prisoners. The Rules are based on an obligation to treat all prisoners with
respect for their inherited dignity and value as human and to ban torture
and other forms of torture (United Nations),
Inspection and monitoring are the best way to solve human rights violations
in prisons which is the role of independent monitoring of the conditions in
detentions and the treatment of prisoners to ensure the rights and dignity of
inmates are always upheld in line with the requirements of international and
national law; the findings of such monitoring are to be made public.
Inspections officials are tasked under the Rules with determining whether
cells re administered with national and international law (Sage Journals,
2020).

Evaluation
I believe most of the sources I have used are reliable because they give
elaborate information that you can build on and are world renowned
organizations however there are some which are not as own since they are
organizations in the country and don’t have date when published or author
but gives reliable information, so I trust most of my sources on giving right
information.
Reflection
Writing this report has given me an insight on how prisoners of different
states in different countries are treated and cared for by people of their own
country and how far matters are taken the places their kept in and how they
are cared for when ill and how far this treatment can drive a person,
causing them to take their own life though they are of the same inherited
dignity and value no matter their background and origin.
References
United nations human rights (OHCHR)
Author:
Date Published:
https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/
basic-principles-treatment-prisoners#:~:text=Except%20for%20those
%20limitations%20that,on%20Economic%2C%20Social%20and
%20Cultural

Reuters
Author: Aziz El Yaakoubi
Date Published: September 13, 2023
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/bahrain-prisoners-
suspend-hunger-strike-crown-prince-heads-washington-2023-09-13/
#:~:text=The%20Bahrain%20Institute%20for%20Rights,had%20ended
%20the%20hunger%20strike.

Bird
Author:
Date Published: August 21, 2023
https://birdbh.org/2023/08/at-least-740-political-prisoners-on-hunger-
strike-in-bahrain-as-the-strike-enters-third-week/

New York Times

Author: Nazeeha Saeed and Vivian Nereim
Date published: September 1, 2023
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/06/world/middleeast/bahrain-
prison-hunger-strike.html#:~:text=Inmates%20inside%20the
%20country's%20largest,neglect%20and%20limited%20visitation
%20rights.
Human Rights Watch
Author:
Date Published: Septembers 1, 2023
https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/09/01/bahrain-address-hunger-
strike-grievances
Human Rights Watch
Author:
Date Published: 2021
https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2022/country-chapters/mexico
Australian Human Rights Commission
Author:
Date Published:
https://humanrights.gov.au/sites/default/files/content/
letstalkaboutrights/downloads/HRA_prisioners.pdf
The Human Rights Law Center
Author:
Date Published: October 5, 2022
https://www.hrlc.org.au/news/2022/10/5/australias-prisons-under-
scrutiny-by-united-nations-anti-torture-watchdog
United Stated Department of State
Author:
Date Published: 2022
https://www.state.gov/reports/2022-country-reports-on-human-rights-
practices/niger/#report-toc__section-1__subsection-3__h4-1
International Committee of the Red Cross
Author: Hernán Reyes
Date Published: December 1, 2001
https://www.icrc.org/en/doc/resources/documents/misc/
59n8yx.htm#:~:text=Violence%20in%20prison%20settings%20has
%20many%20causes.,causes%2C%20or%20rivalries%20between
%20clans%20or%20gangs
Penal Reform International
Author:
Date Published:
https://penalreform.org/issues/prison-conditions/issue/#:~:text=Those
%20who%20experience%20punitive%20conditions,prevalence%20of
%20violence%20in%20prisons.
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
Author: Katharina Kiener-manu
Date Published: July, 2019
https://www.unodc.org/e4j/en/crime-prevention-criminal-justice/
module-6/key-issues/2--current-trends--key-challenges-and-human-
rights.html
https://issues.org/correctional-health-care-community-health-prisons-
jails/