Prison systems

A prison is a facility in which inmates are forcibly confined and denied a variety of freedoms.

Important international documents regarding treatment of prisoners

The Third Geneva Convention defines humanitarian protections for prisoners of war.

International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights - these provisions apply to those
in prisons, hospitals (particularly psychiatric hospitals), detention facilities, correction
facilities or any other facility in which a person is deprived of their liberty. Also, article 7
bans torture or other cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment, by guaranteeing those
deprived of their liberty with the same conditions as that set fo

United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners were adopted by
the United Nations General Assembly on 17 December 2015. Although not legally binding, the
Minimum Standards provide guidelines for international and domestic law for citizens held
in prisons and other forms of custody. The basic principle described in the standards is that "There
shall be no discrimination on grounds of race, color, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion,
national or social origin, property, birth or other status". The document sets out standards for those
in custody which covers registration, personal hygiene, clothing and bedding, food, exercise and
sport, medical services, discipline and punishment, instruments of restraint, information to and
complaints by prisoners, contact with the outside world, books, religion, retentions of prisoners’
property, notification of death, illness, transfer, removal of prisoners, institutional personnel and
inspection of facilities.[16] It also sets out guidelines for prisoners under sentence which further
includes treatment, classification and individualisation, privileges, work, educations and recreations,
and social relations and after-care.[17] There are also special provisions for insane and mentally
abnormal prisoners, prisoners under arrest or awaiting trial, civil prisoners and persons arrested or
detained without charge.
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
These provisions apply to those in prisons, hospitals (particularly psychiatric hospitals), detention
facilities, correction facilities or any other facility in which a person is deprived of their liberty.[11] The
article complements article 7 of the Covenant,[12] which bans torture or other cruel, inhumane or
degrading treatment, by guaranteeing those deprived of their liberty with the same conditions as that
set for free persons

The right to: (US)

 not be punished cruelly or unusually

 due processes
 administrative appeals
 access the parole process (denied to those incarcerated in the Federal System)
 practice religion freely
 equal protection (Fourteenth Amendment)
 be notified of all charges against them
 receive a written statement explaining evidence used in reaching a disposition
 file a civil suit against another person
 medical treatment (both long and short term)
 treatment that is both adequate and appropriate
 a hearing upon being relocated to the mental health facility.
 personal property such as: cigarettes, stationary, a watch, cosmetics, and snack-food
 visitation
 privacy
 food that would sustain an average person adequately.
 bathe (for sanitation and health reasons).
Many rights are taken away from prisoners often temporarily.[citation needed] For example, prison personnel
are required to read and inspect all in-going or out-going mail, in order to prevent prisoners from
obtaining contraband. The only time a prisoner has a full right to privacy is in conversations with
their attorney.

sic Principles for the Treatment of Prisoners

Adopted and proclaimed by General Assembly resolution 45/111

of 14 December 1990 (United Nations Human Rights Committee)
1. All prisoners shall be treated with the respect due to their inherent dignity and value as
human beings.

2. There shall be no discrimination on the grounds of race, colour, sex, language, religion,
political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.
3. It is, however, desirable to respect the religious beliefs and cultural precepts of the group to
which prisoners belong, whenever local conditions so require.

4. The responsibility of prisons for the custody of prisoners and for the protection of society
against crime shall be discharged in keeping with a State's other social objectives and its
fundamental responsibilities for promoting the well-being and development of all members of
society.

5. Except for those limitations that are demonstrably necessitated by the fact of incarceration, all
prisoners shall retain the human rights and fundamental freedoms set out in the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights, and, where the State concerned is a party, the International
Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and the International Covenant on Civil and
Political Rights and the Optional Protocol thereto, as well as such other rights as are set out in
other United Nations covenants.

6. All prisoners shall have the right to take part in cultural activities and education aimed at the
full development of the human personality.

7. Efforts addressed to the abolition of solitary confinement as a punishment, or to the restriction

of its use, should be undertaken and encouraged.

8. Conditions shall be created enabling prisoners to undertake meaningful remunerated

employment which will facilitate their reintegration into the country's labour market and permit
them to contribute to their own financial support and to that of their families.

9. Prisoners shall have access to the health services available in the country without
discrimination on the grounds of their legal situation.

10. With the participation and help of the community and social institutions, and with due regard
to the interests of victims, favourable conditions shall be created for the reintegration of the ex-
prisoner into society under the best possible conditions.

11. The above Principles shall be applied impartially.

Issues:

Overcrowding

Decrease in prison workforce and rise in violence

legal highs", also known as new psychoactive substances

Cost-cutting

Discrimination (based on gender, race, sexuality)

Mental Illness

Substance Abuse
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-38596034

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK64123/

https://study.com/academy/lesson/major-problems-issues-trends-facing-prisons-today.html