CULTURAL RISK FACTORS FOR TORTURE AND OTHER ILL-TREATMENT IN PLACES OF DETENTION c. Detainee self-management systems Officially recognised detainee self-management systems rely on detainees to carry out various roles relating to the running of the institution and/ or everyday living. Detainees may be appointed to roles or be expected to take turns, for example to prepare meals. The UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture notes that while such systems can have a positive impact on detainee quality of life, they can also lead to arbitrary use of power and violence ‘to the detriment of vulnerable prisoners, or [be] used as means of coercion or extortion’ if not regulated and managed properly.35 Detainee self-management system in prisons in Benin The UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT) raised concerns about detainee self- management systems it observed operating in prisons it visited in Benin in 2008. In Cotonou Prison, prisoners were appointed by the prison director to undertake numerous functions including acting as ‘chief’ for each building, checking roll at lockup time, managing facilities such as toilets or showers, and a committee of elders to deal with problems that arose. These prisoners reported to the director and wore special overalls. The SPT found that the system ‘produced great inequalities and violations of human rights. The problem reached into virtually all areas of prison life affecting who had room to sleep, food and water; who was subjected to additional restrictions of liberty or punished; who worked for whom and who gained the most benefit at the expense of others’. 4. Deterioration of culture in places of detention There may be a deterioration in the culture of places of detention in response to changes in the environment, both internal and external to the place of detention, signalling added risk factors for torture and ill-treatment. For example, in 2010, the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture noted that a significant increase in irregular migrants entering Greece had put border guard stations and migration detention centres in that country in a ‘situation of crisis’.36 Border guards were overwhelmed and frustrated as they faced ‘an unprecedented number of arrests of aliens and a serious lack of resources’. They were observed to be aggressive and tense towards detainees and there were several consistent allegations of ill- treatment on arrest and in detention. Report on the visit of the Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment to Benin, 2011 (CAT/OP/BEN/1). 35. Fourth annual report of the Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT), 3 February 2011, CAT/C/46/2, pp15-16. 36. Report of the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment on his mission to Greece 10-20 October 2010, A/HRC/16/52/Add.4. Penal Reform International | Institutional culture in detention: a framework for preventive monitoring | 11