An appraisal of the right to dignity of prisoners and detainees with disabilities : a case study of Ghana and Nigeria

Abstract

"This paper addresses the right to dignity of a group of people with two vulnerabilities i.e. being a disabled person and a prisoner. The concept of dignity applies to prisoners and detainees irrespective of their offences at any given time. This is a right that is ascribed to a person by virtue of one's humanity and not one's circumstances. In Ghana and Nigeria, the rights of able and disabled prisoners are not given serious consideration. This is probably due to the fact that these two countries are still involved in violations of human rights and they are yet to implement most of the provisions in international human rights instruments. The protection of the rights of disabled prisoners is a mirage in the two countries probably because they constitute a minority and their vulnerability relegates them to the lower rungs of the society. However, international human rights instruments recognise that disabled persons have rights that should be respected. ... Despite these international standards, the treatment of disabled prisoners is still below the recommendation. This necessitates a study of the role which human rights law ought to play in the mitigation of the hardship of disabled prisoners, as their dignity is a central element to their existence." -- Introduction.