Creation and Enforcement of Norms Governing Treatment of Offenders (From UNAFEI Report for 1980 and Resource Material Series No. 20, P 43-73, 1981 - See NCJ-89732)

• NCJ Number: 89733
• Author(s): B J George
• Date Published: 1981
• Length: 31 pages
• Publication Format: Document
• Language: English
• Country: United Nations

Annotation

This study focuses on the general sources of norms or standards for offender treatment, the major rights of prisoners, the control and discipline of prisoners, and the accreditation of correctional institutions.

Abstract

General sources for the norms or standards for the treatment of offenders are international standards, constitutional principles, legislation, administrative regulations, and agency practices. The major rights of prisoners have been delineated in the areas of reception, classification, assignment, and transfer; the circumstances of confinement; nutrition; medical care and the delivery of health services; religious practices; labor, education, and habilitation; prisoner access to persons and institutions in the community; and prisoner grievance procedures. Other prisoner rights and claims pertain to resident publications, the confidentiality of prisoner records, prisoner organizations, and civil rights while in prison. Norms and standards bearing upon the control and discipline of prisoners are in the areas of the use of force against inmates, search and seizure, and the content and enforcement of disciplinary rules. In addition to securing enforcement of norms and standards through administrative procedures and the courts, the accreditation of correctional institutions also provides a competitive incentive for correctional facilities to evaluate their performance and work toward compliance with standards for accreditation. A total of 212 notes are provided.