CAT/C/39/2 page 44 187. The Committee members also observed that specific initiatives have been taken at the state and federal level to combat the practice of torture, such as the “National Permanent Campaign for Combating Torture and Impunity” launched by the federal Government and civil society but regrettably discontinued in 2003. The campaign has been criticized by many NGOs as being highly ineffective. 188. The extremely poor conditions of detention facilities observed consistently throughout the visit were of deep concern to the Committee members. There is a constant threat of violent riots in detention centres, with the danger of such incidents increasing as a direct result of poor conditions. Overcrowding is endemic and the majority of the centres visited lack adequate facilities. Moreover, the Committee members observed that the detention centres do not have programmes to help reintegrate detainees into society. A large percentage of the detainees do not have access to education or to any vocational activity. This situation particularly affects persons with low income who belong to disadvantaged groups. Their prolonged detention reduces their possibilities of social reintegration, deepening their marginalization and exposing them to other criminal activities. 189. The Committee members noted that the Government of Brazil has attempted to reduce overcrowding by building more detention centres, which in turn, have become overcrowded in a short period of time. Alternative solutions must be sought as a matter of extreme urgency. Overcrowding causes irreparable physical and psychological damage to detainees. As long as this problem is not solved, the State will be responsible for tolerating an inhuman situation in many detention centres. 190. The number of staff guarding detainees is extremely low. The Committee members observed that the shortage of staff had a negative effect not only on security and respect of detainees’ rights, but also on the security and morale of the staff. They also observed shortages in the number of social workers, psychologists and other staff. Furthermore, staff do not receive sufficient training on the rights of all detainees and their obligation to respect such rights. 191. Jails continue to exist in police stations. Although the initiative to decommission police stations has been partially implemented, as was observed at the 9th District Delegacia de Polícia Participativa in São Paulo and 5th District Delegacia Legal in Rio de Janeiro, there are still a large number of police stations which continue to hold detainees. The Committee members strongly recommend that any jails in police stations be abolished immediately. 192. The Committee members consider that the new disciplinary regimes (RDD/RDE) may lead to violations of the human rights of inmates held under these regimes, particularly where they are held in isolation for long periods of time. They regretted not having been able to visit any centres of RDD/RDE due to their distance from the state capitals. In this regard, the Committee members are concerned that the geographical distance between these centres and the location of the family members of most inmates impede visits by family members. 193. The Committee members received numerous allegations from NGOs concerning abuses in psychiatric detention centres. However, the Committee members did not visit these centres as they did not have medical expertise required for their assessment and therefore cannot draw conclusions based on its own observations.