Although criminology has made significant contributions to understanding and addressing criminal behaviors, it has been weak in both quantity and quality in addressing issues related to the exercise of power and state criminality and liability. In discussing human rights, this chapter aims to provoke more discussion about the location and operation of power with regard to the role of the state in imprisonment. In October 2002, the British Government noted the complementary nature of equality and human rights in the consultation paper "Equality and Diversity: Making It Happen." The paper reflects the Government's vision of a society based on "fair and equal treatment for all and respect for the dignity and value of each person." The power of a human rights approach rests on the capacity to provide redress for those experiencing social exclusion and who lack the power or necessary agency to change their disadvantaged status. This is where criminology enters the debate, because achieving one's human rights is intertwined with achieving justice. The human rights framework is uniquely amenable to the concerns of both women and men as offenders, victims, and criminal justice professionals. From a human rights perspective one section of this chapter focuses on three major issues that face female prisoners: their overrepresentation in suicide and self-harm statistics, contact with their children and families, and the experience of girls in prison. The relevant human rights principles are the right to life, the right to private life and family life, and the United Nation's Convention on the Rights of the Child. 9 notes and 51 references