Ethical Treatment of Prisoners

[Date of Submission]

Ethical Treatment of Prisoners

Introduction

Regardless of the area or place of residency, and the manner of living, everyone has the right to be treated with respect. Some people have the perception that only people with a clean background regardless of any criminal activities incurred by them are deserved to be treated with respect, in compare to those, people who are incarcerated. No matter what the person has committed in his past, mistakes are natural, it can be committed by anyone, and therefore, everyone deserves to be treated with respect and dignity (Kleinig, 2001). The study of the principle and rules that are meant to govern the behavior and the moral value of human behavior, is referred to, ethics. To explain the concept of ethics, various theories have been explained by many philosophers. Among them are the theories of virtue, deontology and utilitarianism. The relation of the ethical treatment of prisoners to the above mentioned theories will be discussed in this essay.

Discussion

A person, who commits some kind of criminal offence and for a specified duration of time, is sentenced to prison, is known, as a prisoner. Whether the individual is not guilty of the crime or is guilty, this decision lies in the hands of the courts, and the penalty for the committed crime is also decided by the court. For the duration specified by the court, the person is sent to the penitentiary or prison, in case if found guilty, else, the person is set free, in case if found innocent. A place, where the law breakers are detained for a specified duration of time, is known, as a prison.

Basically, it is a correctional facility. However, the rights of an individual must be provided to the criminal too, even in the situation of being detained. Though the individual is deprived of rights of freedom, both he or she must be provided with other basic rights, like, access to medical care and provision of clothing and food (Earthrowl & Et.al, 2003). To expose the individual to danger and confine him or her to the correctional facility is truly unethical. For example, rationing of the food of prisoners or denying their food, is unethical.

Not providing access to medical attention to prisoners is also not ethical, as deaths can be resulted, in case this facility is avoided. The state of the prisons is deplorable, especially in the third world countries. When prisoners are sent to prison, they appear to be healthy; however, they appear to be sick and weak, once they are released from prison. The condition of the housing facilities of prison is unhygienic and deplorable. Such housing facilities, where there are no basic amenities, such as, toilets, and are dirty, to lock any individual in such housing facilities is truly unethical.

The way in which the lives of the prisoners can be changed positively is the reason why criminals are expected to spend the defined specified duration of time in prison. A prisoner cannot have peace of ...