Access to Healthcare of Prisoner’s and their conditions during Covid-19

This research paper conceptualizes the aspects relating to the conditions of the vulnerable section of the society that is the incarcerated or the prisoners, having no access to the external world or their family amidst the chaos of Covid-19. This research paper also includes the approaches, method and measures taken by some of the countries that had been drastically struck by Covid-19 such as India, The United Kingdom, Italy and The United States of America. The incarcerated were isolated for the majority of the day unable to communicate with fellow inmates or the external world which under normal circumstances would be available to them. The Right to Healthcare has also been discussed forthwith, this right is not only pertaining to the citizen but also to the incarcerated or the prisoners irrespective of the crime committed. However, it has been noticed that most of the countries were unable to provide access to basic Healthcare to the prisoners during Covid-19 which defeats the provisions of Right to Healthcare which has not only been enumerated under the National Laws of different countries but also under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR). These international treaties have provided a dignity to prisoners and that they too have rights even if their liberty is restricted while being in custody. The ICCPR specifically provides that “all persons deprived of their liberty should be treated with humanity and with respect for the inherent dignity of the human person”.