Accommodation
In light of the number of hours spent in cells or dormitories on a daily basis, the conditions of accommodation have a...
Women in detention are a particularly vulnerable group for multiple reasons. Discrimination against women at all levels and in all strata of society is reflected and even exacerbated in prison settings. Prisons, designed by men for men, often fail to take into account the specific needs of women, who represent a hardly visible minority of the global prison population (between 2% and 9%, depending on estimates). Policies regarding women in detention also tend to be developed by men and, as a result, insufficient consideration is given to the distinctive needs of women.
Female detainees can be vulnerable even before they enter prison because of the violence or discrimination they have suffered. Many have a past marked by domestic violence, exploitation, drug use, drug trafficking and poverty. Stigmatisation of women detainees can be particularly strong and lead to family rejection, resulting in isolation that reduces their prospects of reintegration into society after release.
Authorities must protect women detainees from physical and mental violence and abuse by prison staff and fellow inmates. Supervisory staff should therefore be predominantly female. Invasive body searches should only take place as a last resort, in order to avoid potentially traumatic humiliation.
Women from indigenous or ethnic minority groups, women with disabilities, lesbians, and women living with HIV or AIDS are often proportionally overrepresented in prisons. They face additional challenges and risks of abuse and discrimination once incarcerated.
The fact that women detainees are a minority of the total prison population is also reflected in infrastructures that are sometimes inadequate, few in number, and located far from their homes or those of their families. These elements can in themselves constitute discriminatory treatment vis-à-vis women detainees. Decisions on placement in detention should therefore take into account the geographical proximity of the prison to the family, especially children, and give preference to alternatives to detention where possible. Where long conjugal visits are allowed for male detainees, they must also be allowed for women.
Female detainees have specific needs and must have access to gynaecological check-ups and screening for diseases such as breast cancer, based on the principle of equivalence of care. The authorities must ensure that these requirements are adequately provided for, including through an adequate health service and regular distribution of sanitary towels in sufficient quantity. In view of their life experiences before being imprisoned, female detainees, especially those who have suffered sexual violence, often require specific psychological support. Special arrangements should be made for pregnant inmates and mothers of young children, taking into account the best interests of the children. Young mothers must be able to breastfeed in conditions that are as normal as possible. Detainees forced to give birth in prison should not be inconvenienced either during or immediately after delivery.
All prison policies related to women should be based on the United Nations Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners and Non-custodial Measures for Women Offenders (the Bangkok Rules).
In light of the number of hours spent in cells or dormitories on a daily basis, the conditions of accommodation have a...
In view of the total reliance of detainees on prison authorities for their basic needs, the provision of clean water at...
Clean clothes and bedding, in sufficient quantity and adapted to the climate, are essential elements of good personal...
Adequate ventilation and lighting, including access to daylight, are among the basic elements required to ensure the...
Sanitary facilities that are in good condition, clean, sufficient in number and easy to access are essential to ensure...
The right of detainees to access the outside world implies regular and meaningful access to news, information and...
Detention – particularly the initial days - can be a very traumatic experience for foreign national prisoners. Many do...
All detainees have the right to send and receive mail and to make and receive telephone calls, except in very specific...
When someone is deprived of his or her liberty, family connections often take on a heightened importance. Family members...
Ensuring all persons deprived of their liberty have prompt access to a judge is an important safeguard against arbitrary...
Ensuring that all detainees have prompt access to a lawyer is a key safeguard of their rights in prison, whether they...
There are different types of records kept in prisons, and each performs a particular function. The office register and...
Detainees have the right to make complaints about any aspect of their treatment or conditions in detention to the prison...
The right to information is important for legal proceedings for persons in pre-trial detention (including the...
Deprivation of liberty, which is characterised by an imbalance of power between representatives of the authority and...
Healthcare at least equivalent to that in the community should be available free of charge to all detainees. The health...
Some individuals and groups in detention may have specific health care needs that need to be addressed on an equivalent...
Health staff working in prisons have the same professional and ethical obligations to their patients as staff working in...
All detention facilities should make available to inmates a programme of recreational activities to maintain or improve...
Detainees in prison have a right to education and this is crucial for their rehabilitation and reinsertion into society...
All detainees have the right to a minimum of one hour outdoor exercise per day. This is crucial for their mental and...
Detainees in prison have the right to freedom of religion. There should be no discrimination based on religion and...
Work of a useful nature should be provided to keep detainees actively employed for a normal working day. This is...
Training is important so prison staff are equipped with the knowledge, skills and attitude to perform their duties well...
he way prison staff perceive the quality of their working life and how they are treated by managers and colleagues has a...
Recruitment processes play a key role in ensuring prisons have staff with the required skills, knowledge and attitude to...
In prison, it is sometimes necessary, for security reasons, to conduct body searches of detainees. The aim of body...
In all penitentiaries authorities must sometimes conduct searches of either some of the premises or all of the premises...
Solitary confinement consists in keeping an inmate alone in a cell for over 22 hours a day. Because of the harmful...
The disciplinary regime establishes the rules of prison life by listing breaches of the internal regulations and the...
Means of restraint are instruments intended to restrain or temporarily limit the freedom of movement of a person without...
The primary purpose of separation is to ensure the protection and safety of persons deprived of their liberty, and the...
In prisons, recourse to force must always be the exception and it must always be used as a last resort. To prevent any...
Prison authorities have a positive obligation to prevent violence amongst the detainees they are responsible for. This...