Everybody should have access to religious services he’s required to attend (those that aren’t optional). Prohibition from attending should not be an available punishment, only a precaution if the particular inmate won’t behave during services.
Non-violent ones should be separated from violent ones, not just who got how many years of a sentence. No more blind eye on inmate vs inmate violence. One can be sentenced to hard labour. One can’t be implicitly sentenced to inmate beating and rape, nor is that appropriate punishment for a crime. Especially not for a non-violent crime.
Psych tests for guards, supervisors and others in authority. Strict enforcement of protection against inhumane and degrading treatment. Proper investigation and prosecution for abuse by staff. No blind eye here. (But without prejudice to due process and presumption of innocence in disciplinary proceedings for guards. If possible, things should take place with witnesses, records, perhaps video recording.)
Privacy and modesty of inmates should trump “equal employment opportunities” of guards (unfortunately, no such luck with many a court, I’ve seen some shameful rulings), so that opposite-sex strip searches and the like procedures are strictly banned out of existence. When such things do need to happen, they should be strictly by same-sex, preferably not known gay or bisexual personnel, outside the presence or view of any unnecessary people but especially opposite sex. Deprivation of clothing has no place in 21st century and yet it is conceived by sick minds employed in the wrong positions and it does happen. Sometimes in connection with very cold temperature in the cell. Whoever comes up with such stuff needs a serious wake-up call. I would be in favour of corporal punishment for such sadists and/or perverts, but we live in 21st century even if they don’t.
Some real due process and not just on paper and in theory for every request that gets denied, every complaint that is attempted to be filed, every punishment that is awarded or executed. Staff should receive appropriate training. Disciplinary offences (types of, descriptions) should come from a list that’s put on paper as a written policy. Available penalties should also come from a list that’s put on paper. Both offences and penalties should be vetted by at least inhouse lawyers if not external ones but any any rate accessible to humanitarian organisations and any other interested NGOs. Investigations into abuse reports need to become real and reaction need to be real too (more psych tests before = less need for investigations after).
Transfers out of the reach of abusers for those who are abused, whether by other inmates or by guards. Transfers of abusive inmates to separate facilities for like company. Transfers of violent or otherwise abusive staffers to desk positions.
Some rights for families. Spouses, children, parents, siblings and others did not kill or steal. Or even cheat on taxes. They typically did nothing to deserve to be separated.
Work. People who want to work should have the right to work, especially if it’s not about getting some pocket money but about doing something productive. There’s always some community work that needs to be done, or some vocational work. In this connection, people don’t have a right, strictly speaking, to learn a job while in prison. But preventing people from having a way of supporting themselves other than the life of crime they’ve tasted is bound to place a released inmate before a very hard choice. Not all will resist. Nor should they be made to become welfare recipients–there are already enough people who need it. So occupational learning should be there, along with some assistance with getting a job once out. Perhaps in the same places that employ current inmates. This is really a favour to the society in general rather than just to them. That fact that they “don’t deserve” such a benefit does not justify punishing the society with idle, skillless former inmates tempted to turn back to crime for a living once they’re out.
As has been mentioned: medicines. Savings on medical care are understandable. Being mean or disorganised about access to doctors and medicines is not.
I was one of the ones to whom mercy was shown, and to cover that mercy for myself would be pure evil.