Male Inmates’ Perceptions of Human Rights and the Institutional Transformation of Imprisonment

Challenges and Possibilities in Penal Institutions Based on Questionnaire Surveys

抄録

This study aimed to clarify the actual state of human rights awareness and treatment experiences among male inmates under the penal labor system prior to the introduction of the custodial sentence system. Based on 137 valid responses (15.6%) to a questionnaire survey, principal component analysis and multiple regression analysis were conducted. The results revealed that inmates’ human rights awareness could be classified into four factors: “Appropriateness of Treatment and Human Rights Protection”, “Appropriateness of Medical Care Provision”, “Living Environment and Human Rights Consideration”, and “Enhanced Human Rights Awareness through Name Changes”. Significant positive correlations were observed among these factors. Notably, both “Appropriateness of Treatment and Human Rights Protection” and “Living Environment and Human Rights Consideration” exerted a strong influence on “Appropriateness of Medical Care Provision”, suggesting that the quality of institutional and cultural treatment directly impacts medical access and accountability.