The right to humane treatment in detention requires that offenders be treated with dignity. This right complements the prohibition on torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment but is engaged by a broader range of less serious mistreatment. Mistreatment
may amount to a violation of article 10 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, even if it does not rise to the level of torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading
treatment or punishment. Numerous international instruments establish standards to be observed in treating persons in detention.
Prison design is a component of humane treatment and rehabilitating prisoners successfully back into our community. Examples of innovative humane prison designs are: Halden Prison in Norway, Leoben in Austria, Enner Mark in Denmark, Ny Anstalt prison in Nuuk, Greenland, and the Norwegian prison island of Bastoy. These prisons are designed to reduce crime by providing positive opportunities for offenders and by building a sense of optimism for their future. They are designed to reflect the environments in the community. The design treats
inmates not as prisoners but as community members, with all the social, vocational, and emotional responsibility that this entails.
Scandinavian countries have pioneered humane prison design because their societies are characterized by a strong welfare state and relatively high levels of trust, according to Yvonne Jewkes, professor of criminology at the UK's University of Kent. In Scandinavia, beauty is believed to have a healing and civilizing influence. Whether it's a coffee cup or a prison, Scandi design is always stylish. In prison design, this means light, airy, noninstitutional
spaces. A prison like this helps foster a sense of purpose, citizenship and hope for the future, which is essential because at some point, the offenders will be released back into the community.
Ny Antalt, Greenland
Comments