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Date: April 29, 2024 Mon
Time: 11:26 pm
Time: 11:26 pm
Results for vulnerable populations
3 results foundAuthor: Sylvia Rivera Law Project Title: "It's War in Here": A report on the Treatment of Transgender and Intersex People in New York State Men's Prisons Summary: 'It's War in Here': A Report on the Treatment of Transgender and Intersex People in New York State Men's Prisons, one of the first to address this issue, draws on interviews with imprisoned transgender people and their advocates to document the widespread harassment, physical and sexual abuse, discrimination, and violence that transgender, intersex, and gender non-conforming people face inside state custody. It's War in Here illustrates the cycles of poverty and discrimination that result in so many transgender and gender non-conforming people being poor, homeless, and imprisoned, and is a valuable resource in educating policy-makers, attorneys, service providers, and community organizations about this urgent issue. Details: New York: Sylvia Rivera Law Project, 2007. 51p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 12, 2014 at: http://srlp.org/files/warinhere.pdf Year: 2007 Country: United States URL: http://srlp.org/files/warinhere.pdf Shelf Number: 132340 Keywords: Gender Prisoners Sexuality Transgender Inmates (New York) Vulnerable Populations |
Author: Bath, Chris Title: There to Help: Ensuring Provision of Appropriate Adults for Mentally Vulnerable Adults Detained or Interviewed by Police Summary: The role of appropriate adults (AA) is to safeguard the welfare and rights of children and mentally vulnerable adults who are detained or interviewed by police. The Codes of Practice of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) set out the purpose and powers of AAs, and the responsibilities of the police in this regard. In December 2014, the Home Secretary commissioned the National Appropriate Adult Network to examine current AA arrangements for vulnerable adults, identify shortcomings in provision, and develop recommendations for ensuring provision for all who need it. The project entailed a review of existing literature and law (Papers A to C), new data from police forces, liaison and diversion services, AA services and custody officers (Papers D to E) and interviews and consultation involving senior stakeholders and individuals with direct experience of the criminal justice system (Papers F and G). Details: Kent, England: National Appropriate Adult Network, 2015. 88p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 4, 2019 at: https://www.appropriateadult.org.uk/images/pdf/2015_theretohelp_complete.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://www.appropriateadult.org.uk/index.php/policy/policy-publications/there-to-help Shelf Number: 156171 Keywords: Appropriate Adults Custody Mental Illness Police Custody Police Detention Rights of Children Vulnerable Populations |
Author: Broach, Sophie Title: Reservoirs of Injustice: How Incarceration for Drug-Related Offenses Fuels the Spread of Tuberculosis in Brazil Summary: Worldwide, tuberculosis (TB) kills more people than any other infectious disease. TB is detectable and curable; however, connecting under-served populations - who are at a disproportionately high risk of contracting TB - with diagnostic tools and treatment remains a critical barrier to combating it. Prisoners are especially vulnerable, and are on average 23 times as likely to contract TB as members of the general population. Alarmingly, incarceration rates are accelerating in many countries, driven in large part by harsh penalties for minor drug-related crimes, punitive sentencing, and lengthy pre-trial detention. Human rights defenders and criminal justice organizations highlight these policies as an explanation for the explosion of the prison population and rampant overcrowding. Growing prison populations also threaten public health by increasing the total population exposed to TB and facilitating the spread of TB from prisons to free communities. Research has demonstrated that population-level increases in TB can plausibly be attributed to high levels of imprisonment. Due to the interrelatedness of punitive drug policies, mass incarceration, and the spread of TB, efforts to curb the disease incidence must incorporate drug policy reform. This report uses Brazil as a case study to demonstrate that punitive drug policies and the ensuing growth in incarceration have contributed to the spread of TB in the country. Research covered primary and secondary sources, including epidemiological studies, government reports, news articles, and scholarly research. The authors of this report also conducted interviews, remotely and in-person, with drug policy experts, public health researchers, advocates for prison reform, medical doctors, legal professionals, and other stakeholders in and outside of Brazil. By bringing together research from diverse sources, this report demonstrates the public health imperative to reform drug policy. The criminal justice system in Brazil creates a perfect storm for TB transmission both inside and outside of prisons by targeting marginalized groups and thereby exacerbating social inequities and the underlying vulnerability of incarcerated populations. Prisoners are more likely to have additional risk factors that increase their likelihood of developing active TB, including malnutrition, substance abuse, and HIV. People who are nonwhite, of low socioeconomic status, and of low educational attainment are more likely to be incarcerated, where they face greater risk of contracting TB and transmitting the disease to people in their communities upon release. These groups are also more likely to have TB to begin with. Channeling members of marginalized populations into a prison system that heightens their risk of disease perpetuates health inequities and class divisions within Brazil's society. Brazilian drug policy, and its discriminatory implementation, have contributed to the huge growth in the prison population and have disproportionately impacted non-whites and women. The proportion of prisoners incarcerated for drug-related offenses has risen dramatically in recent years, in large part due to a 2006 drug law, which created a more punitive system for drug trafficking. The law fails to differentiate clearly between drug users and traffickers, providing arresting officers with broad discretion in determining whether individuals are arrested for trafficking or possession. As a result, an influx of people charged with drug crimes is currently overburdening the prison system. Lengthy pre-trial detention and delays in transitioning prisoners to the next phase of their sentences has exacerbated overcrowding. While the use of custody hearings - in which individuals are brought before a judge within 24 hours of arrest to determine whether or not they should be detained prior to trial - has shown promising results for reducing overcrowding in pre-trial detention centers, various barriers have inhibited widespread implementation of the practice. The rise in drug-related incarceration and ensuing growth in the prison population has farreaching public health repercussions. TB remains a major public health threat in Brazil, in large part due to the unchecked health crisis within its overcrowded, under-resourced prisons, where the TB notification rate is 31 times as high as that for the general population. The incidence of TB among prisoners as well as the proportion of TB cases occurring among prisoners have both been increasing in recent years, while the size of the prison population has increased drastically. In 2016, prisons held almost twice as many prisoners as they were designed to house. Overcrowded, poorly ventilated prisons promote the transmission of TB,19 and overwhelmed prison systems cannot hope to provide medical care for all prisoners. In the current Brazilian political climate, prison conditions seem likely to deteriorate and overcrowding to intensify. Prisons also act as reservoirs and amplifiers for TB, facilitating its spread to surrounding communities. Prison staff, visitors, and released prisoners can transmit the disease to their home communities. Epidemiological research in Brazil drawing on molecular technology has connected TB strains from within prisons to those identified beyond their walls.20,21 Inadequate screening and diagnostic tools prevent prisoners with TB from being identified, and many prisons rely on prisoners to report their symptoms, which typically only occur at an advanced stage of the disease. The prevalent attitude that quality healthcare should be withheld from prisoners therefore undermines the health of free citizens. This report offers recommendations for concrete and actionable strategies to curb the spread of TB both within and beyond prisons, while recognizing decarceration and drug policy reform as ultimately necessary to address these problems. Details: New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University, 2019. 46p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 17, 2019 at: https://law.yale.edu/system/files/area/center/ghjp/documents/reservoirs_of_injustice-_how_incarceration_for_drug-related_offenses_fuels_the_spread_of_tb_in_brazil_ghjp_report_2019.pdf Year: 2019 Country: Brazil URL: https://publichealth.yale.edu/article.aspx?id=20191 Shelf Number: 156463 Keywords: Brazil Case Study Drug Policy Reform Human Rights Incarceration Prison Populations Prisoners Vulnerable Populations |