Detainees

,

Clean bodies

,

Respect the right to clean bodies

Reality

Personal hygiene can be a challenge in places of detention (PoD), especially when there’s overcrowding. Stop and think for a minute: just how horrible must it be to have to live in a perpetually smelly body, surrounded by other even more smelly bodies?

Rule

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.
2. 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 able to shave regularly.
NMR 18

Response

The construction and maintenance of water piping is outside of our control, although - when washing water is not coming through - we do advocate for plumbing systems to be repaired. But routinely, there is much that we can do about so-called ‘toilet articles’, which is another term for toiletries.…

Respect

  • Document: we put up posters about NMR 18 and the health benefits of good personal hygiene, and we code patients’ medical notes if they have suffered as a result of non-compliance with NMR 18.

  • Demonstrate: we distribute soap, towels, toothbrushes & toothpaste, combs, shampoo for those with long hair, and disposable razors. We provide laundry soap for the washing of towels, and sometimes launder them ourselves. Long-handed toothbrushes have to be risk assessed, as they can be used to make shivs. And the use of a razor is assessed on a case-by-case basis with officials, as they too are potentially lethal.

  • Discuss: we talk about why a good level of personal hygiene is important to human wellbeing. And we praise officials who make their own efforts to improve detainees’ personal hygiene.

…he [Jesus] poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet,
drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him… “Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.”
John 13:5-14

,

A place to sleep

,

Respect the right to a place to sleep

Reality

Severe overcrowding within prisons and other places of detention (PoD) is a hard fact. It’s displayed for all to see on many social media videos. But it should not be a subject for popular entertainment. Stop and think for a minute: just how horrible must it be to live, and to try to sleep, in such conditions?

Rule

All… sleeping accommodation shall meet all requirements of health, due regard being paid to climatic conditions and particularly to cubic content of air, minimum floor space, lighting, heating and ventilation.
NMR 13

Response

The construction, capacity and filling of places of detention (PoD) are outside of our control. So there is nothing we can do about climate, window design, ratio of floor space to bunk & toilet space, or number of detainees. But there are some things that we can do to help with heating, lighting and ventilation…

Respect

  • Document: we put up posters about NMR 13 and the health benefits of temperature control and good lighting, and we code patients’ medical notes if they have suffered as a result of non-compliance with NMR 13.

  • Demonstrate: we buy fans for cells, give blankets to elderly or sick detainees who (even in the tropics) feel cold, and offer spare light bulbs whenever required.

  • Discuss: we talk about why air circulation, sufficient light and temperature control are important to human wellbeing. And we praise officials who make their own efforts to improve detainees’ ventilation, temperature regulation and lighting.

Then the Lord God provided a leafy plan and made it grow up over Jonah
to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort,
and Jonah was very happy about the plant.
Jonah 4:6