Les droits fondamentaux des personnes incarcerees : elements de droit compare europeen
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Abstract EN:
The granting of rights to incarcerated persons is linked to the progressive transformation of the role of the prison from that merely confining to that of reeducating the convict. The united nations were the first to codify such rights in the context of the standard minimum rules of 1955. On the continent, the council of europe built upon this base with the adoption of the european prison rules in 1973 and 1987, which work in conjunction with the european convention for the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms and the european convention for the prevention of torture. The majority of these rules, however, are not legally binding. The rights and obligations of incarcerated persons, as well as the mechanisms necessary to their enforcement, therefore still rely to a great extent on national texts. The fundamental rights of prisoners remain very limited and do not extend beyond the right not to be detained arbitrarily and the right not to be tortured. Detainees' rights are essentially "functional rights". Their application is limitated in practice by the absence of an effective remedy and by the exigencies of ensuring the security in prisons. Their content is determined by their objectives : preventing desocialisation (protecting the health of the detainee and partially recognising his beliefs) and preparing
Abstract FR:
La reconnaissance de droits au profit de la personne incarceree est liee a la transformation progressive de la prison, d'un lieu de garde en un lieu de reeducation du delinquant. Les nations unies seront les premieres a codifier ces droits avec l'ensemble de regles minima de 1955. A l'echelon continental, le conseil de l'europe a poursuivi ces travaux avec l'adoption de regles penitentiaires europeennes en 1973 et 1987, auxquelles il faut rattacher les mecanismes de la convention europeenne des droits de l'homme et de la convention europeenne pour la prevention de la torture. Toutefois, l'essentiel de ces normes ne possedant pas de force juridique contraignante, les doirts et obligations de perosnnes incarcerees, ainsi que les mecanismes de controle et de garantie sont encore largement issus de textes nationaux. La situation des prisonniers reste marquee par une faiblesse des droits fondamentaux, limites a l'interdiction des detentions arbitraires et a la prohibition de la torture. Les detenues possedent essentiellement des "droitsfonctions", incompletement maitrises, contraints par les exigences carcerales et finalises dans leur exercice : eviter la desocialisation (proteger la sante du detenu et partiellement reconnaitre ses convictions) et preparer sa reinsertion (le doter de competence et orienter ses contacts avec l'exterieur).