Strasbourg, 10.11.2011 – In its annual report, which was published today, the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) urges States to minimise the use of solitary confinement of prisoners. This measure should be applied only in exceptional circumstances and for the shortest possible period of time.

“Solitary confinement can have an extremely damaging effect on the physical, mental and social health of prisoners, and that damage is likely to increase the longer the measure lasts and the more indeterminate it is. An indicator is that the suicide rate of prisoners under this regime is higher than that among the rest of the prison population. This practice raises serious issues with regard to the prohibition of torture and inhuman or degrading treatment”, said Lətif Hüseynov, President of the CPT.

In the report the CPT also calls on states to guarantee the right to access to a lawyer from the very outset of a person’s deprivation of liberty, irrespective of the category of the alleged offence. The CPT acknowledges that it may be exceptionally necessary to delay for a certain period of time a detained person’s access to a lawyer of his choice, but emphasises that this should not result in the right of access to a lawyer being totally denied; arrangements should be in place for the appointment of a replacement lawyer in such cases. (more...)

Press release