WUNRN
Incarcerated Women – Women in Prison – Reports
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Direct Link to 2013 USA Report: THE CHANGING RACIAL DYNAMICS OF WOMEN’S INCARCERATION
http://sentencingproject.org/doc/publications/rd_Changing%20Racial%20Dynamics%202013.pdf
To Read Full Report click to website: http://ap.ohchr.org/documents/dpage_e.aspx?si=A/68/340
and then click on language of choice for 25-Page Report A/68/340.
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Contents
Page
I. Introduction ................................................................... 4
II. Pathways to incarceration ........................................................ 4
A. Presence of violence ........................................................ 5
B. Coercion.................................................................. 6
C. Abortion.................................................................. 7
D. Moral crimes .............................................................. 8
E. Running away ............................................................. 8
F. Protection or rehabilitation................................................... 9
G. Anti-drug policies .......................................................... 9
H. Political activities .......................................................... 11
I. Pretrial detention........................................................... 11
J. Immigration and refugee detention ............................................ 11
III. Conditions of incarceration ...................................................... 12
A. Violence .................................................................. 12
B. Violation of privacy ........................................................ 14
C. Inadequate health care and hygienic conditions .................................. 14
D. Overcrowding, poor nutrition and lack of feminine-specific care.................... 16
E. Women with children and pregnant women ..................................... 17
F. Sexual orientation and gender identity ......................................... 18
G. Immigration and refugee detention ............................................ 19
IV. Consequences of incarceration .................................................... 20
A. Lack of effective rehabilitation and reintegration programmes...................... 20
B. Failure to protect the family unit .............................................. 22
V. Conclusions ................................................................... 24
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V. Conclusions
81. Under international law, “all persons deprived of their liberty shall be
treated with humanity and with respect for the inherent dignity of the human
person”.144 Prisoners may not be subjected to any hardship or constraint other
than that resulting from the deprivation of liberty, and respect for the dignity
of such persons must be guaranteed under the same conditions as that of free
persons. Moreover, this fundamental rule must be applied without distinction
of any kind, including discrimination on the basis of sex.145 This principle of
non-discrimination requires States to take into account and address any
disparate impact of criminal justice strategies on women,146 even if they have
been adopted for legitimate goals such as, for example, the “war on drugs”.
States are directed to develop policies based on women’s special needs as
criminal justice offenders.147
82. In 2011, the General Assembly, by its resolution 65/229, adopted the
United Nations Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners and Non-custodial
Measures for Women Offenders (the Bangkok Rules), which established for the
first time standards that relate specifically to women prisoners, offenders and
accused persons. The Bangkok Rules recognize that the international law
principle of non-discrimination requires States to address the particular
challenges that women confront in the criminal justice and penitentiary systems
(rule 1).148 They provide comprehensive standards for the treatment of women
prisoners and offenders, addressing issues such as prior victimization and its
links with incarceration; alternatives to incarceration; mental and physical
health care; safety and security; contact with family members; staff training;
pregnant women and mothers with children in prison; and prisoner
rehabilitation and reintegration, among other things.
83. These rules supplement the standards of the Standard Minimum Rules for
the Treatment of Prisoners and the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules
for Non-custodial Measures (the Tokyo Rules), which afford protection to all
prisoners and offenders, respectively. Other applicable international standards
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142 Alison Thompson, “Children living in prison: insights from Sierra Leone”, report prepared by
AdvocAid for the United Nations Quaker Office (2008), p. 10.
143 Tarja Pösö, Rosi Enroos and Tarja Vierula, “Children residing in prison with their parents: an
example of institutional invisibility”, The Prison Journal, vol. 90, No. 4 (December 2010),
p. 527.
144 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, art. 10 (1). 145 Human Rights Committee, general comment No. 21 (1992). 146 General Assembly resolution 61/143, para. 8 (f). 147 Vienna Declaration on Crime and Justice: Meeting the Challenges of the Twenty-first Century,
General Assembly resolution 55/59, annex, paras. 11 and 12.
148 See also Penal Reform International, “Women in prison: incarcerated in a man’s world”, Penal
Reform Briefing No. 3 (2008), p. 2.