Topic: 2025 – Treatment of Prisoners
Country: Brazil
Delegate Name: Sophia Kolekamp
A new issue that desperately needs to be addressed is the treatment of prisoners in Brazil. This issue is important because prisoners, some of whom have not been convicted of crimes yet, are being held in overcrowded and disease-filled cells. The cells are often violent and unhygienic, and typically prisons hold 3 times their official capacity. To address this issue and make prisons safe and cleaner for their inhabitants, they should be making sure there is no overcrowding and allow access to healthcare.
The United Nations has looked into this topic and created several solutions to this problem. One way they tried to help create better conditions for prisoners was with the Nelson Mandela rules. “Nelson Mandela spent 27 years in prison”. And also “throughout his life he advocated for fair and humane treatment for all, including prisoners”. The Nelson Mandela rules were a list of rules advocating how prisoners should be treated with humanity, and should have access to basic and healthy essentials. On the other hand, in 2015, Brazil started holding custody hearings for prisoners to allow visitation and the possibility of early release. Brazil has not taken any serious actions regarding the treatment of its prisoners. An article from Brazil explains, “The extreme overcrowding and lack of sufficient staff make it impossible for prison authorities to exercise adequate official control within the prison grounds. In response, they have adopted a practice of delegating authority to a single inmate within each pavilion—fenced-in areas within the prison walls that usually contain multiple cell blocks and more than 100 inmates.”
Brazil has the goal to keep its country safe, and putting any “dangerous” person in prison is the right move, but Brazil does not take into account the health or the basic living necessities for its prisoners. I think that prisoners should share a cell with 2-3 inmates to prevent overcrowding, and they should have access to health care so they can prevent disease and other health issues.
Sources used
https://www.hrw.org/report/2015/10/20/state-let-evil-take-over/prison-crisis-brazilian-state-pernambuco?utm_source=chatgpt.com
https://iapp.org/news/a/inside-brazil-s-child-online-safety-bill?utm_source=chatgpt.com
https://www.right-to-education.org/resource/general-comment-no-25-2021-children-s-rights-relation-digital-environment?utm_source=chatgpt.com
https://core-evidence.eu/posts/how-the-digital-divide-hinders-children-s-right-to-education-online-learning-in-brazil?utm_source=chatgpt.com
https://www.unicef.org/innovation/stories/protecting-childrens-rights-in-digital-environments?utm_source=chatgpt.com
