[사회]The expansion of correctional facilities has slowed, but the urgent need to ‘improve the human rights of inmates’

[앵커]

More than 1,200 confirmed cases of corona19 were released to correctional facilities across the country due to a massive infection at the East Seoul Detention Center.

Although the number of confirmations has barely decreased, there are still duties to overcome the stigma of being a country “reduced to human rights in prisoners.”

Reporter Park Seo-kyung pointed out.

[기자] [노회찬 / 당시 정의당 의원 (지난 2017년) : 헌법재판소가 서울구치소 내 과밀 수용에 대해서 위헌 결정을 내린 사실을 알고 계십니까?]

In 2017, the head of the State Affairs Auditor’s Office and later Justice Party legislator Roh Hoe-chan pointed out the overcrowding in detention centers and placed a newspaper on the ground.

[노회찬 / 당시 정의당 의원 (지난 2017년) : 이게 1인당 수용 면적입니다. 여기에 사람이 살고 있습니다.]

It was a long-standing task, but as a result of postponing the delivery, a group infection broke out in the East Seoul Detention Center, resulting in more than 1,200 confirmed cases.

At the beginning of the group infection, 116.7% of them were overcrowded, making it difficult to separate close contacts and quarantine authorities failed in the initial crackdown.

[서울동부구치소 수용자 어머니 : 여기에 10명을 넣는다는 건 이건 너희들은 병 걸려서 죽으라는 소리밖에 더 되느냐는 거예요.]

Detainees’ testimony continued to the effect that disinfection or masks were not provided adequately and that cold medications were prescribed for prisoners with fever.

[서울동부구치소 수용자 아버지 : 타미플루만 준대요. (수용자들이) 아프다고 소리 지르면….]

The prison authorities lowered the density due to the transfer of prisoners in Burjaburya and the extension of probation, and the spread has entered sedation after a month.

However, as the problem has not been fundamentally resolved, the risk of further group infection remains.

For this reason, experts point out that policies should be implemented to reduce the number of inmates and increase small prisons.

[김인회 / 인하대학교 법학전문대학원 교수 : 국제인권법상으로 약 5백명 정도를 (수용) 최대치로 보는데요. 동부구치소처럼 2천 명이 넘어가게 되면, 교정도 제대로 되지 못하고, 질병이 발생하면 대규모 확산으로 이어지는 결과가 되죠.]

Justice Minister Park Beom-gye also emphasized countermeasures, such as visiting the Eastern Detention Center as the first official calendar after taking office.

[박범계 / 법무부 장관 : 미봉책으로는 거의 한계에 와 있는 것 같아요. 특별법이 필요한 상태까지 온 게 아닌가 하는 생각이 듭니다. (국제) 인권 기준상 맞지 않습니다.]

To improve the human rights of inmates, it seems necessary to change the social perception of seeing prisons as a community, and to discuss specific policies of the professionals based on this.

This is YTN Park Seo-kyung.

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