Taking Prisoners’ Rights Seriously

ABSTRACT Prisoners' rights have often been lauded as the way forward for progress in penal reform. It will be argued that prisoners' rights offer a key means of improving prisoners' lives. Where they have been recognised and enforced, they have had considerable impact on key areas of prison life, including prison conditions, procedural justice and prisoners' right to family life. It will be argued that respect for rights also has benefits for the prison administration and the wider society. Measures to make rights more effective in practice will also be considered.