On the outside, a disabled person is entitled to a disability pension and support from organisations who advocate for the rights of people with a disability. Medical assessments for entitlements are conducted by independent specialists. On the inside, there is little if any support or understanding. Prisoners (some still on remand) who have a disability are routinely forced to work and the onus is on them to prove that they are unable to. Some prisoners report that not even a medical certificate seems to satisfy. Disabled prisoners can contribute to the prison community, with appropriate assessment, support and training. But this is not the reality of prison life. It appears that there is no appropriate policy or procedure (or staff cannot apply such a policy in a consistent and professional manner) and no appropriately qualified and independent assessments are conducted to determine work capacity. Instead disabled prisoners report that they are assigned tasks which they cannot do and feel humiliated by the experience. We do not sentence people to hard labour. People are sent to prison as punishment NOT for punishment. All prisoners have human rights, including the right to be treated with dignity. It is time for an independent prison inspectorate...
Posted on: Tue, 09 Sep 2014 11:42:28 +0000