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| Title: | The rights of elderly male prisoners in Lesotho |
| Author: | Nyanguru, A.C. |
| Year: | 2006 |
| Periodical: | Lesotho Law Journal: A Journal of Law and Development |
| Volume: | 16 |
| Issue: | 1 |
| Pages: | 119-149 |
| Language: | English |
| Geographic term: | Lesotho |
| Subjects: | elderly prisoners social and economic rights |
| Abstract: | According to the United Nations Principles for Older Persons, the rights of elderly people include independence, care, self-fulfillment, dignity and participation. The present author investigates to what extent the rights of elderly offenders in Lesotho are promoted and protected during the time of their incarceration, based on a questionnaire survey administered to 33 male prisoners aged 55 years and above in Maseru prison. Focus was on prisoners' satisfaction with their living conditions, their health status, food and nutrition, rehabilitation programmes, abuse in prison, reintegration into the community and overall satisfaction with prison life. The findings indicate that the majority of the prisoners had committed serious crimes, ranging from rape and incest to murder and stock theft. The majority were retrenched ex-miners and were either widowed, divorced, co-habiting or separated. The living conditions of the older prisoners were very poor. There was overcrowding and lack of basic facilities, they received insufficient food, of poor quality, and poor health care. Most prisoners reported abuse, mostly verbal, by both inmates and prison officials. Many prisoners were not involved in vocational training or other social activities. The majority of the elderly male prisoners were dissatisfied with their life in prison. Policy options for improvement are suggested in conclusion. Ref., sum. [ASC Leiden abstract] |