Does a narrow cell mean lack of humanity? – remarks on the basis of article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights

Abstract

The article concerns one of the basic principles of executive criminal law and, at the same time, the nominee of the European Convention on Human Rights – the principle of humanitarianism. The subject of research is the issue of overcrowding in Polish prisons and the problem of cramped cells, in which prisoners are held. The aim of the article is to evaluate this phenomenon, to indicate its causes and to propose solutions of the problem. The findings made in this article have practical significance, because overcrowding in prisons is a problem that has a significant impact on the functioning of prisoners and the process of their resocialisation.

Keywords

• human rights
• the principle of humanitarianism
• prisoner
• prison
• imprisonment
• penitentiary system