Human rights and dignity in offender rehabilitation

The concept of human rights is a moral (and legal) one that that is intended to safeguard provision of the social, economic, environmental, and psychological goods necessary for a dignified human life. Over the last 3 years, several papers on the implications of rights-based thinking for the assessment and treatment of offenders have appeared. In this paper, I draw from this work—in particular, the conceptual model developed by Ward and Birgden (2007)—and examine its practice recommendations and implications. First, I analyze the concept of dignity and its role in human rights thinking. Then the Ward and Birgden model of human rights is outlined and ethically justified. Finally, I discuss some of the major assessment and treatment consequences of this human rights approach.