Human Rights in African Prisons — 2008 ·

Edited by Jeremy Sarkin

“(T)his is a lucid, well-informed and compelling overview of the critical issues in African correctional institutions. . . . essential reading for African scholars, legal experts, human rights workers, and even informed, socially-conscious general readers, and thus is a must for any academic library.”

African Studies Quarterly

Prisons are always a key focus of those interested in human rights and the rule of law. Human Rights in African Prisons looks at the challenges African governments face in dealing with these issues.

Written by some of the most eminent researchers from and on Africa, including the former chairperson of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights. This collection provides a current analysis of the situation in African prisons and examines how regional and international legal instruments have dealt with human rights concerns such as overcrowding, healthcare, pretrial detention, and the treatment of women and children.

Human Rights in African Prisons reveals that there are reforms under way across nations in Africa and makes recommendations for strengthening and building on them.

Jeremy Sarkin is the Visiting Professor of International Human Rights and Senior Professor of Law at the Fletcher School at Tufts University. He is the author of numerous publications, including The Administration of Justice: Comparative Perspectives and Carrots and Sticks: The TRC and the South African Amnesty Process.