Following the petition of ACRI and the Academic Center for Law and Business in Ramat Gan, prisoner living space will rise to 4.5-4 sq m
The High Court of Justice ruled on a petition filed by the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) and the Academic Center for Law and Business in Ramat Gan on June 13, 2017 regarding overcrowding in Israeli prisons. The Court ruled that within 18 months the State should allocate a living space of 4.5 square meters to each prisoner, including toilet and shower, or 4 square meters not including toilet and shower. Currently, each prisoner is only allocated 3.1 square meters, including toilet and shower. About 40% of the prisoners are imprisoned in an area that amounts to less than 3 square meters per person, and the severe overcrowding amounts to cruel and inappropriate punishment.
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) and the Academic Center for Law and Business in Ramat Gan welcome the High Court’s decision to set a new standard for prisons: “This is great news for the rights of prisoners and detainees. Human rights do not stop at the gates of the prison, and the State must ensure the human dignity of prisoners and detainees. The current situation harms the health of the prisoners, leads to increased violence, and harms the chances of the prisoners being rehabilitated,” said Attorney Anne Suciu of the Association for Civil Rights in Israel.
The petition was represented by Adv. Anne Suciu of the Association for Civil Rights in Israel and Attorney Sigal Shev of the Prisoners’ Rights Clinic at the Academic Center for Law and Business.
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