Are Prison Living Standards Fair for Inmates? Journalism September 25, 2018October 15, 2018 Are Prison Living Standards Fair for Inmates? September 25, 2018 Cora Pereira Living conditions in prisons are not fair for inmates. Prisoners are sent to prison for a reason, but do they really need to be dehumanized? They of course made their own decisions to get themselves sentenced, but they live there 365 days a year. We at least should provide fair housing, food, and health standards. One issue with prison standards that has already been recognized by Meagan Perry is the housing of men and women. She wrote, “Women should be housed separately from men, and they should have equal access to programs and work within the prison system”. Some prisons do not separate men and women, leading to discomfort and issues within the prison. Both sexes should have their own separate housing and activity areas to ease the discomfort. Women have also been excluded from any physical activities or rehabilitation programs. Perry also states in her article, “Today, however, the Whitehorse Correctional Centre is facing a human rights complaint for keeping women in their rooms around the clock and for excluding them from education, drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs and work within the prison.” Women who come in from drug abuse or need a rehabilitation program are being denied the care that they need. Perry also wrote,”We’re in here 23 hours a day!” calls out a deep voice. After he moves on to talk about programs the prison can offer, another voice shouts out: “We have no programs!” Women in prison are being ignored and left in cages all day. Each prisoner should have more than one hour out of their cell for activity and health related programs. Another issue with prisons is the physical living situations for the prisoners. Especially for sanitary reasons there should be certain amount of space provided in each cell. “Eight beds are crammed in, heads to the walls, and none of them more than two-thirds of a metre apart. Six are single beds, and crowded against the back wall is a bunk. A 5.4-by-six-metre sleeping area has been housing up to eight women at a time. The situation is typical of small prisons across the country, according to the Elizabeth Fry Society”(Perry). These prisoners are here for breaking the law, but should not be living in inhumane and unsanitary conditions. For living out their sentence they should have only a few people per living space. Although in some prisons these matters have been addressed and changed, some prisons have been avoiding the living standards for prisoners. Perry wrote, “The prison is doing the best it can with limited resources, according to Perrin. In fact, the day after the tour, the women were moved into a larger dorm with an attached yard. However, two weeks later, they were shuffled back.” The issues were addressed to fit government requirements, but then once given the clear, were not enforced. Wardens have a duty to enforce the state and government requirements but many fail to do so. The prisoners are there to live out a sentence. That is undebatable and fair, but they should also be treated fairly and in a humane way. Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition) Specia, Megan. “Wildfire Breaks Out Near Crowded Refugee Camp on Greek Island.” New York Times, 23 Sept. 2018, p. (L). SPN.SP24, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A555276534/SPN.SP24?u=mlin_b_massblc&sid=SPN.SP24 &xid=17bd3c34. Accessed 28 Sept. 2018.