Prisoner Rights According to the American Association

Prisoner Rights

According to the American Association for Correctional and Forensic Psychology (AACFP), forensic psychologists " have an obligation to provide services in a manner consistent with the highest standards of their profession and are responsible for their own conduct and conduct of the individuals under their supervision." These words suggest that a higher code of conduct from the norms of society should dictate the actions of those in this profession. This is important because it is very easy to dismiss those who have been convicted for crimes and considered wasted people and undeserving of redemption.

The aggressive legal system that profits off of the prison system in this country has created an epidemic of sorts where America imprisons more people per capita than any other developed nation on the planet. This trend encourages prisons to maintain high populations and one way of doing this is by denying prisoners their rights.

The legal system is also very complex and unique to certain jurisdictions, where in some states, prisoners may be killed by the government while others prevent this practice. Cruel and unusual punishment is banned as a right but this is much too subjective for any widespread acceptance. For this reason, it is important for professionals to maintain ethical guidelines to protect against unjust actions.

According to the text " the segregation of inmates with mental disorders raises many legal questions. Courts have allowed severely disturbed inmates to be placed in stripped-down observation cells -- sometimes referred to as "safe cells" -- for their own protection, " (Bartol & Bartol, 2010, p.348.) The fragile mental status of anyone incarcerated must be taken into consideration in the processes of justice and forensic psychologists can assist in achieving this balanced approach. This once again calls attention to the specific guidelines presented by the AACFP and the clear necessity of answering to an individual or higher calling that may be currently ignored by other factions of the legal system.

Inmates should be granted every right that is available to them in every circumstance. The legal system will never be perfect and rights are guarantees of protection when the system appears to fail. Each local legal system is different and surely have their advantages and disadvantages attached to them, rights therefore can transcend these bureaucratic and political biases that often interfere when dealing in corrections and handling prisoner affairs.