‘There Is No Such Thing’—Meaningful Human Contact in Prison Under International Law

ABSTRACT

This article reflects on the notion of ‘meaningful human contact’ as expressed in the Mandela Rules 2015 (United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners—SMRs) through fieldwork carried out in Scottish prisons via a letter-writing project. Exploring questions of ‘what’ and ‘who’ makes contact meaningful sheds light on how prisoners interpreted the notion in the context of their daily existence. Using the lens of situated justice, the article examines prisoners’ experiences of isolation and the disparity between lived realities and international norms, highlighting how the prevailing language fails to adequately acknowledge this divergence.