Multimedia
Prisoners are put in solitary confinement – for days, and sometimes for months and years, in most countries. In the USA, the American Civil Liberties Union has estimated that some 80,000 prisoners are housed in some form of isolation. However, the dangers of solitary confinement are increasingly recognised. Not only to the mental health of the individual, […]
Languages: English
Report
A short guide to the fundamental issues and arguments linked to introduction of alternative sanctions following abolition of the death penalty. It reviews current trends in the application of long-term and life imprisonment, highlighting relevant international and regional human rights standards and provides examples of good practice. Topics covered include: Current practices worldwide regarding alternatives to […]
Languages: English, French, Russian
Briefing
While they may sometime be a necessary measure to provide security and order in a custodial setting (eg to prevent inter-prisoner violence or escape), instruments of restraint pose a high risk for torture or other ill-treatment due to their highly intrusive nature and the risk of causing injury, pain and/or humiliation. They may even be […]
Languages: English, French, Russian, Spanish
Report
In many countries, whether driven by political or media pressure for tighter security, a punitive approach to imprisonment, inadequate staff-prisoner ratios or a lack of training on inter-personal skills, de-escalation and mediation, prison management often takes unnecessary or disproportionate recourse to security measures in violation of detainees’ right to dignity. This paper aims to provide […]
Languages: Uzbek, English, French, Russian, Spanish, Tajik
International Standard
Key standards and norms covering conditions in detention and the treatment of detainees include: General International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights UN Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights UN Convention on the Rights of the Child UN Convention against Torture UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities UN Standard Minimum Rules for […]
Languages: