Prisoners are people, and it has always been important to treat the people that a nation chooses to detain, and imprison with humane and reasonable standards. Prisoners all over the globe are being treated with cruelty, abuse and poor living conditions at the hands of the party in charge of imprisoning them. Poor treatment of prisoners is more evident in some regions, but it is important to remember that these issues can occur in any country, including western nations. Several factors contribute to problematic treatment in prisoners like understaffing and overcrowding, which the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) estimates is a problem in over 60% of countries. Improper treatment in prisons can cause or contribute to physical and mental issues in prisoners. Treatment of prisoners is a problem that the Human Rights Committee (UNHRC) has been heavily involved in working towards ensuring fair and humane treatment of all prisoners. Prisoners are people and have human rights that must be upheld, regardless of why they are being held.
When discussing the topic of the treatment of prisoners, delegates should refer to the Basic Principles for the Treatment of Prisoners, and the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for Treatment of Prisoners, also known as the Mandela Rules. Adherence to these principles should be a goal for the committee while working towards solutions to this topic. Poor prison conditions are caused by a variety of factors, but the greatest contributing factor causing insufficient treatment is a lack of resources and overcrowding in prisons. Governments are often hesitant about building for correctional facilities and local populations are often against prisoners being housed nearby. It is important to remember that Prisoners often have a stigma around them, and many people are unwilling to sympathize with those they might view as unworthy of proper treatment. The Committee should also consider the large number of people held in pre-trial detention, about one third of the world prisoner population in this state according to the UNODC. Aside from the UNHRC, there are numerous Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO’s) that are involved in human rights advocacy and that advocate for the proper treatment of prisoners.
Regardless of how different nations approach the issue of crime and punishment for those crimes, it should still be a priority for a penal system to allow people to re-enter society no worse than when they entered a correctional facility. Encouraging fewer people to reoffend should be helpful to society. Again it’s important to remember that prisoners are people with rights that must be upheld.
Focus Questions:
- At what point would it be more effective for solutions to poor treatment of prisoners to come from the local or regional level?
- What is currently being done by the UN and other organizations to solve this issue?
- To alleviate overcrowding in prisons should the size and capacity of a corrections system be expanded, or should the number of people being placed into that system be curbed?
Useful Links:
United Nations Universal Instrument: Basic Principles for the Treatment of Prisoners
https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/basic-principles-treatment-prisoners
Human Rights Watch Prison Project:
https://www.hrw.org/legacy/advocacy/prisons/
The United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners
https://www.unodc.org/documents/justice-and-prison-reform/Brochure_on_the_UN_SMRs.pdf
