The Human Rights Of Prisons - 1510 Words

â€Å"To deny people their human rights is to challenge their very humanity.† This quote from Nelson Mandela exhibits the problems that exist in prisons worldwide, as many prisoners and convicts encounter abusive and immoral conditions daily. More than 10 million people are imprisoned around the world, many for minor offenses. About 3.2 million potentially innocent men and women are awaiting a trial and are stuck in those poor conditions (Penal). Governments are unwilling to withdraw funds from their tight budgets to invest in safer conditions. Ergo, inmates are deprived of their natural human rights to be treated with humanity and to be free from cruel torture and degrading conditions. Venezuelan prisons are among the most violent prisons in†¦show more content†¦According to data from the Ministry of Justice’s Integrated System of Penitentiary Information, the country’s incarceration rate increased 45% between 2006 and 2013. The average prison population exceeds half a million people, which is 37% more than the prisons were built for. This magnitude of overcrowding causes poor sanitation which leads to the spread of diseases, which is a major problem, considering the access to medical help is insufficient. Inhumane torture is another prominent issue in most Brazilian prisons. From January to July of 2012, the National Human Rights Ombudsman’s Office received 5,431 complaints of torture and inhumane treatment. It is sad to see law enforcement agents abuse their power and harass the detainees. At least 84% of these incidents occur at police stations or prisons. These cases are rarely brought to justice. The country’s attempts to p enalize the officers are destroyed because the more people waiting for trial, the more people crowding the prisons. (World Brazil). Prisons in Africa are so horrifying that Amnesty International, a human rights protection program, listed Benin in its annual State of the World’s Human Rights report in 2008. The report highlights overcrowding, unjustified detention, and lack of trained staff and acceptable food throughout prisons in Benin (Prisons). Cotonou Central Prison is