ABSTRACT
Standards for the protection of people deprived of liberty have been developed over the last 60 years, but have evolved and progressed steadily since the adoption of the UN Convention Against Torture in 1984. Although the revision in 2015 of the UN SMR for the Treatment of Prisoners targeted only certain key areas of the rules, there was a significant progression in universal protections surrounding healthcare, vulnerable groups, discipline, the investigation of deaths and torture, and access to legal representation, among other areas. It is now an established practice that the prevention of torture and other forms of cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment (CIDT) or punishment goes well beyond the consideration of individual complaints of physical or psychological ill-treatment. Places of detention in each state should be governed by national laws, regulations, and standards of practice. The Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture (OPCAT) established both international and national monitoring mechanisms for the prevention of torture.
