Topic: 2025 – Treatment of Prisoners
Country: Argentina
Delegate Name: Jaxton King
Country: Argentina
Committee: HRC
Topic: Treatment of Prisoners
Delegate: Jaxton F. King
School: Williamston High School
“All is fair in love and war” or so they say, throughout the course of war many innocent lives are taken, and many people are tormented but what becomes of the tormentors once they are captured; prisoners of war. However the unfair treatment seen throughout many countries that is inflicted on prisoners is not just limited to those captured during war but is inflicted on citizens who may have merely made a mistake. Cruelty is forever and will never fully die, however there are steps we can take to prevent and isolate those forces who wish to harm others.
Death; the pinnacle of cruel and unusual, the very force people are forbidden from using, yet it is used to execute the people of the world every day. Why do we as a world allow people to be shot, hung, and brutally murdered even if they did this themselves; by that definition we are no better than the killers. This is precisely why Argentina in the early 2000s moved to overturn the death penalty and make it a forbidden method of punishment. Evil is in the world and that is what some people are; however if we turn to murder ourselves then what does that make us? Prisoners are people too and this means that they should be treated with the same basic human decency we expect as average citizens. By abolishing the death penalty one could argue the prisoner is finally held accountable as by killing them you have just ended their sentence early, they have not had to feel regret and remorse for their crimes. It comes down to a debate of regional or federal control as some organizations would argue that this is humane considering the crimes of some individuals, however it is not as it only spreads more harm and hate. It should remain a federal decision and funding should come from the federal government too, to provide adequate funding and healthcare measures for prisoners who have been jailed for long sentences and even those who have been jailed for minor stints. It is in the greatest interest of Argentina to ensure that its prisoners are taken care of appropriately (Using Mandela Standards) and that they are not abused or subjugated to cruel and unusual punishment in any way. Argentina has grown a system of handling this by abolishing the death penalty, removal of court sanctioned killing since 1916, and constitutional protections that apply not only to citizens but also apply to those held within the borders of the country.
Argentina believes that constitutional protections prevent unfair treatment within prison systems, as they permit the government and the people by proxy to have a positive effect and impact within the prison systems of a country. By creating provisions for prisoners to be kept imprisoned at standards that are acceptable to the government, and to the citizens. Whilst the prison should not be lavish it should be a capable enough facility to house prisoners and give them amicable living standards. Argentina believes that the right course of actions is to create those provisions internationally. We ally ourselves with the Red Cross International Committees, and with the United States to create better programs for prisoner treatment globally.
