Inhumanity In Prison

The general treatment and health state of prisoners is of high concern. There is a constant pressure on prisons to keep staff to a minimum meaning there is a limited access to out-of-cell activity and means prisoners have no one to escort them from place to place. This could also result in visits being cancelled, which mentally isolates the prisoner even more, decreasing potential for social integration, and increasing the likelihood of familial breakdown. One of the most serious deficiencies in prison life is the lack of mental stimulation and preparation for life on the outside. The inhumanity considered in denying individuals of opportunities to exercise physically, it most certainly applies to the mental side too. This lack of mental activity most certainly results in internal isolation, contributing nothing to …show more content…
It is important that inmates are provided with these opportunities and that they are not exploited when doing so, for example unreasonable payment for challenging tasks or jobs assigned. The experience of prison as brutalizing and damaging is reflected in the percentage of self-inflicted deaths by prisoners. Doubling during 70s and doubling again in 80s (Shaw, 1992), it is an ongoing echo of the Prison Service’s inability to preserve prisoners’ safety (Cavadino and Dignan, 2007, p.213). In addition, the level of violence that inmates are familiar with at the hands of their fellow prisoners also reflects this. It is widely acknowledged that the majority of prisoners suffer from learning disabilities and poorer physical health than the general population. At least 70% of sentenced inmates suffer from two or more mental disorders (Cavadino and Dignan, 2007, p.197). These needs are not being met in prison, thus if rehabilitation is being considered then rearrangement is required to allow it to