the forgotten…

P L O C K E D U P.

A prison is a place in which individuals are physically confined and usually deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Prisons are conventionally institutions, which form part of the criminal justice system of a country, such that imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime. UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS Article 1 :All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood Article 5:No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment

 In a recent documentary on prison abuse in America it was shown that prisoners where subject to atrocious physical violence such as being beaten to a pulp, shackled, raped, and so on…  Human rights groups : inmates often fall ill, some die from a lack of adequate medical treatment  The death rate of prisoners in the 1980’s was 1,500 a year in America.  As of 2005, there are 2 million people locked up in federal, state, and county facilities. Though crime rates are down, that's up more than 600% since the 1970s. More than 6 million people are under state supervision in the form of parole or probation. The United States incarcerates more people than any other country in the world

 By conservative estimates the prison population in Malaysia is 45,000.  In December 2006, there were 1.57 million people in federal or state prisons.  Guantanamo bay has been one of the main if not the main prisons well known for inhuman torture from 1987 till date and despite efforts to close it down, the U.S. government will not shut it down. (President Obama signed an order on January 21, 2009 to suspend the proceedings of the Guantanamo military commission for 120 days, and it will be shut down within the year

 Water torture is torture using water, which can take several forms. Because no external marks are left on victims of water torture, it has been a favored method of torture in various countries and political regimes. The torture has notably been used against political prisoners  This form of torture used as a Trial by ordeal, a victim would be repeatedly immersed in water, then pulled out and asked to confess to a crime. Those who failed to confess would be immersed again, people had very cold water poured over them, to make a whipping more painful. A dental extraction (also referred to as exodontias) is the removal of a tooth from the mouth

 Sleep deprivation is a general lack of the necessary amount of sleep. This may occur as a result of sleep disorders, active choice or deliberate inducement such as in interrogation or for torture. They effects of this form of torture are: diabetes, hypertension, memory loss, nystagmus (rapid involuntary rhythmic eye movement), sleep paralysis ( a person upon waking or sleeping cannot move any body part)  Solitary confinement is a punishment of imprisonment in which prisoners are denied contact with any other persons, it is a cruel punishment because sensory deprivation (which goes hand in hand with solitary confinement) can lead to mental illness such as deppresion  Electroshock weapon is an incapacitant weapon used for subduing a person by administering electric shock aimed at disrupting superficial muscle functions. One type is a conductive energy device (CED), an electroshock gun popularly known by the brand name "Taser", which fires projectiles that administer the shock through a thin, flexible wire. Other electroshock weapons such as stun guns, stun batons, and electroshock belts administer an electric shock by direct contact. These are used to subdue, prisoners as though they are animals.

Prison’s are filled with the fetid smell of sweat human waste and dirt (Kenya reference BBC). In a room made for only 3 inmates, 20 to 30 convicts occupy these rooms at a time (Nigeria reference BBC) Prisoners are subject to rape, extortion, mutilations such as the use of broken glass, barbed wire, burning cigarettes on the prisoners Prisoners are subject to starvation if the warden deem it fit, or forced feeding.

 Should prisons such as Guantanamo bay remain open for the sake of national security?  Is it right for prisoners to continue living in such inhuman conditions?  Should strict laws be put in place to prevent torture of prisoners?  Before you answer these questions……………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………….