Privacy of Inmates Escorted Outside Should Be Respected
A prison inmate, Mr. Park (aged 38), filed a complaint that he felt disdained and ashamed when his face was exposed without a cover to the general public including civil-affairs petitioners in the court parking lot and pedestrians in the court's park while he was escorted on foot from the court detention facility to the courtroom, bound with rope, in handcuffs, and in an inmate's uniform. In response, the National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) recommended that the heads of the detention facility and the correctional institution devise guidelines on how to escort inmates so that their faces will not be exposed to the general public and take other necessary measures to ensure inmates' privacy.
Noting that the basic human rights should be guaranteed for even an inmate and deeming that the escort concerned violated the complainant's human worth and dignity and his privacy guaranteed by Article 10 and Article 17 of the Constitution of the Republic of Korea respectively, the NHRCK recommended that the head of the correctional institution and detention facility concerned find a way to protect the honor and human rights of inmates in similar situations and provide appropriate job training to the employees in charge.
In 2005, the Commission dealt with a similar complaint, in which the complainant alleged that he had been escorted, handcuffed to a bar inside a prison van without any covering, so that drivers and pedestrians could see the complainant. The commission deemed in that case, the complainant's privacy and worth and dignity as a human being had been infringed and thus recommended the commissioner general of the Korean National Police Agency take corrective action.
