The Issue
Prisoners should have the same human rights as everyone else, with certain limitations due to liberty restrictions. Existing human rights documents provide for this. However, in practice this is not the case. The conditions in many prisons around Asia are such that prisoners are denied many basic human rights, such as the right to adequate food, sanitation, health care. Along with these basic necessities, prisoners also have to suffer verbal and physical abuse at times. With all these violations, prisoners have few channels through which they can obtain redress.
The Lessons
The lessons are based on a thesis by AHRC researcher Audrey Wolffs.
Lesson 1: Existing international human rights documents that apply to prisoners
Lesson 2: Case studies of Hong Kong, Thailand and Malaysia with regard to prison conditions and the complaint mechanisms for prisoners
