Table 2 Residents’ well-being in RHUs (N = 41)
From: “Like an animal”: the well-being of women living in restricted housing units
Unsatisfactory (N = 26) | Mixed (N = 4) | Satisfactory (N = 11) | |
|---|---|---|---|
Unmet United Nations Standards | |||
Appearance Unmet | 38% | 50% | 0% |
Clothes All clothing shall be clean and kept in proper condition. Underclothing shall be changed and washed as often as necessary for the maintenance of hygiene.a | 12% | 25% | 0% |
Grooming In order that prisoners may maintain a good appearance compatible with their self-respect, facilities shall be provided for the proper care of the hair and beard, and men shall be enabled to shave regularly.a | 31% | 50% | 0% |
Human Decency Unmet | 73% | 100% | 9% |
Nondiscriminatory Treatment (1) All prisoners shall be treated with the respect due to their inherent dignity and value as human beings.b (2) There shall be no discrimination on the grounds of race, color, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.b (3) It is, however, desirable to respect the religious beliefs and cultural precepts of the group to which prisoners belong, whenever local conditions so require.b | 46% | 100% | 0% |
Strip Searches (1) Effective measures shall be taken to ensure that women prisoners’ dignity and respect are protected during personal searches, which shall only be carried out by women staff who have been properly trained in appropriate searching methods and in accordance with established procedures.c (2) Alternative screening methods, such as scans, shall be developed to replace strip searches and invasive body searches, in order to avoid the harmful psychological and possible physical impact of invasive body searches.c | 54% | 50% | 9% |
Health Unmet | 85% | 75% | 55% |
Exercise Every prisoner who is not employed in outdoor work shall have at least one hour of suitable exercise in the open air daily if the weather permits.a | 42% | 75% | 9% |
Hygiene (1) Prisoners shall be required to keep their persons clean, and to this end they shall be provided with water and with such toilet articles as are necessary for health and cleanliness.a (2) The accommodation of women prisoners shall have facilities and materials required to meet women’s specific hygiene needs, including sanitary towels provided free of charge and a regular supply of water to be made available for the personal care of children and women, in particular women involved in cooking and those who are pregnant, breastfeeding or menstruating.c | 27% | 25% | 9% |
Food Every prisoner shall be provided by the administration at the usual hours with food of nutritional value adequate for health and strength, of wholesome quality and well prepared and served.a | 35% | 50% | 18% |
Medical Treatment Sick prisoners who require specialist treatment shall be transferred to specialized institutions or to civil hospitals. Where hospital facilities are provided in an institution, their equipment, furnishings and pharmaceutical supplies shall be proper for the medical care and treatment of sick prisoners, and there shall be a staff of suitable trained officers.a | 31% | 25% | 27% |
Mental Health Treatment 1) At every institution there shall be available the services of at least one qualified medical officer who should have some knowledge of psychiatry. The medical services should be organized in close relationship to the general health administration of the community or nation. They shall include a psychiatric service for the diagnosis and, in proper cases, the treatment of states of mental abnormality.a (2) Individualized, gender-sensitive, trauma-informed and comprehensive mental health care and rehabilitation programs shall be made available for women prisoners with mental health-care needs in prison or in non-custodial settings.c | 46% | 50% | 18% |
Living Conditions All parts of an institution regularly used by prisoners shall be properly maintained and kept scrupulously clean at all times.a | 23% | 25% | 0% |
Showers Adequate bathing and shower installations shall be provided so that every prisoner may be enabled and required to have a bath or shower, at a temperature suitable to the climate, as frequently as necessary for general hygiene according to season and geographical region, but at least once a week in a temperate climate.a | 42% | 75% | 18% |