NCJ Number
90713
Journal
Rassegna penitenziaria e criminologica Volume: 4 Issue: 1-2 Dated: (January - June 1982) Pages: 61-90
Date Published
1982
Length
30 pages
Annotation
Foreign prisoners present the greatest problem in a prison system that is based not only on respect for prisoners as human beings but also on rehabilitation of the offender.
Abstract
As society becomes increasingly international, the problem is growing ever more serious. The major problem posed by foreign prisoners is the communication difficulty, which effectively places them in a state of semiisolation and makes them feel that they are being penalized unfairly. The United Nations Social Defense Research Institute's UNSDRI's preliminary report, 'Survey on Foreign Prisoners,' enumerates the difficulties that foreign prisoners face during their imprisonment: isolation due to differences in language and culture; loss of opportunities for special treatment; difficulty keeping in touch with families; problems connected with food; and lack of concrete opportunities to use available legal benefits. Possible solutions to the problems of foreign prisoners include use of separation only for a homogeneous group of foreigners of the same culture, and transfer of sentenced prisoners to their own countries to carry out their sentences. A committee of experts from the Council of Europe has approved these solutions and proposed others as well. At the present time, the International Penal and Prison Foundation remains the international organization best suited to solving the problems of detaining foreign prisoners.