Human rights in prison and dementia

Abstract

This chapter will be divided into three sections to address human rights in prison, human rights in people with dementia living outside of prison settings and finally human rights of prisoners with dementia. The first section will introduce the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), the International Covenant in Civil and Political Rights (1966) and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1966), prior to discussing the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners [The Nelson Mandela Rules] (2015). The second section will commence with an introduction of UN declarations and conventions for people with disabilities, although these do not specifically include those with dementia. This will be followed by a discussion on why a human rights-based approach to dementia care is essential and provide an early example of how the rights of people with dementia have been considered. Next, this chapter will explain the human rights-based approach of PANEL: participation, accountability, non-discrimination, empowerment and legality. The last section will explore the human rights of prisoners with dementia and how or if these are currently being met, with recommendations where further development is required.