Should Prisoners Have Rights In Prison

Although some believe that criminals do not deserve the same rights as civilians, the transition from the real world to life behind bars is taking enough rights away on its own. Prisoners should be protected from cruel and unusual punishment, sexual harassment and sex crimes, and poor living conditions. These crimes behind the walls of prisons make it difficult for inmates to adapt and feel safe. Their safety is being neglected, not only by other prisoners, but by the workers themselves (Hunter). Staff members get away with these crimes so easily; in return, they provide resources to the prisoners that are challenging to get such as cigarettes, extra telephone cards, and helping them pass drug tests. The New York Times reported that within eleven months, 129 prisoners acquired serious injuries due to prison guard

According to David Abel, prisons are overcrowded, which causes prisoners privacy to be violated. Temperatures in these cells can reach extremely high temperatures during hot days. Jerome Murdough was a prisoner who died while being held in solitary confinement at Rikers’ Prison in NY, his cell reaching 100 degrees during February (Garbus). Martin states that he spoke with a former prisoner who was handcuffed to the bottom of his bunk in his underwear for months. MRSA, along with STD’s are a huge problem in prisons everywhere. Prisoners can’t have access to condoms and other preventatives of the transmission of STD’s throughout the prisons (Garbus). After spending some time in a Massachusetts prison, David Abel reports that the lunches provided to prisoners are gruesome and do not look appetizing at all. He also mentions that the lunch tables are segregated and sitting at the wrong one could cause a problem. Prisoners having to worry on a daily basis about their own safety and well being is a huge complication in today’s