7. Prisoners with special needs/vulnerable groups The Rules of General Application in the SMRs also require the minimum standards of treatment to be applied impartially and without discrimination on any grounds, and require prison administrations to take into account the needs of vulnerable groups of prisoners. Specific provisions to cater to the needs of vulnerable or special groups, such as foreign nationals, women and children, and persons with physical or mental impairment are highlighted in various rules. The SMRs require information to be communicated to a prisoner in the language s/he understands, for instance, in orientation programmes and disciplinary hearings, bearing in mind the needs of foreign and ethnic minority prisoners. Prisoners with mental illnesses are highlighted as a vulnerable group and their treatment is subject to the prohibition on detaining persons with severe mental disabilities, whose conditions would be exacerbated in prison. Psychiatric medical attention and counselling must be provided for all prisoners in need of treatment, and those who must necessarily be detained, are required to be provided specialized and supervised medical treatment. The use of solitary confinement to punish persons suffering mental and physical disabilities is prohibited. Special rules for specific groups are highlighted in the document, indicating the requirement to accommodate the varying needs of different groups. Separate rules exist for unconvicted prisoners, who are to be presumed and treated as innocent, and not subject to the same restrictions as convicted prisoners. Access to legal representation must be facilitated and legal aid must be provided when they may not have the means to hire private lawyers. 8. Conclusion The principles devised in this document set a minimum standard for state parties to adhere to in the treatment of prisoners, as they are based on the premise that prisoners deserve respect due to their inherent dignity and value as human beings. Prisoners are not to be treated as inferior or underserving of human rights protection by virtue of the offence with which they are charged. The general perception highlighted throughout the SMRs is that the loss of liberty and right to self-determination is sufficient punishment and therefore, should not be exacerbated by adverse living conditions and treatment. The principles reflect the values embodied in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which affirm ‘the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world’. As stated by Nelson Mandela ‘no one truly knows a nation until one has been inside its jails. A nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens, but its lowest ones’. State parties have the responsibility to promote social progress, tolerance and cohesion, bearing in mind that the disenfranchisement of one group of the population will inevitably result in the deterioration of the nation as a whole. 22