NCJ Number
176861
Date Published
1995
Length
175 pages
Annotation
This manual is intended for use by corrections managers and correctional personnel; it provides an overview of the United Nations rules on prison conditions and the handling of inmates as well as an explanation of benefits and meaning of these rules for prison policies and daily practice.
Abstract
The manual aims to promote further implementation of recognized international rules for the handling of prisoners. It focuses on inmates' human rights, based on universal general human rights; it notes that their loss of liberty is their punishment and that the circumstances of imprisonment should not be used as additional punishment. The first section explains the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, including the principle of ensuring that prisons should be well-ordered communities with no danger to life, health, and personal integrity; that prisoners should experience no discrimination; and that prison activities should focus as much as possible on helping inmates resettle in the community after serving their sentences. Individual sections focus on due process and complaints, the basic necessities for the physical conditions of a prison, inmate health care, prisoners' contacts with the outside world, inmate programs, correctional personnel, and prison inspections.