A/68/295 non-discrimination, including in relation to sexual orientation and gender identity (see A/HRC/19/41, para. 75). 84. Provisions on the suitability, training and working conditions of qualified civilian personnel independent of police, military and criminal investigation services should be strengthened in the Rules. Authorities should take steps to designate a civilian body to conduct training programmes. IV. Conclusions and recommendations 85. Over the past few decades, there has been a significant increase in the worldwide prison population, placing an enormous financial burden on States. It is estimated that there are over 10 million prisoners in the world, and prison populations are growing on all five continents. 17 Imprisonment has become an almost automatic response rather than a last resort, as mirrored in increasing and disproportionate penalization, excessive use of pretrial detention, increased length of prison sentences and little use of non-custodial alternatives (see General Assembly resolution 45/110, annex). Furthermore, the penitentiary system in most countries is no longer aimed at the reformation and social rehabilitation of convicts but simply aims to punish by locking offenders away. Non-compliance with international standards in relation to conditions of detention is caused by resource constraints and by the punitive approach of most criminal justice systems. Corruption too clearly plays a negative role (see A/64/215 and Corr.1, para. 80). 86. The global prison crisis has an adverse impact on conditions of detention. The negative impact of the overuse of incarceration on human rights is manifold. The overuse of imprisonment constitutes one of the major underlying causes of overcrowding, which results in conditions that amount to ill-treatment or even torture. The revision of the Rules offers an excellent opportunity to revisit States’ commitment to addressing the needs of persons deprived of liberty, with full respect for their inherent dignity and fundamental rights, and to adhering strictly to international human rights instruments. Recommendations 87. The Special Rapporteur reiterates the importance of the principle that, except for those lawful limitations that are demonstrably necessitated by the fact of incarceration, persons deprived of their liberty shall retain their non-derogable human rights and all other fundamental freedoms (General Assembly resolution 67/166). 88. The Special Rapporteur calls upon all States to: (a) Apply the set of procedural standards and safeguards mentioned in the present report, at a minimum, to all cases of deprivation of liberty, as a matter of law and policy; __________________ 17 22/23 International Centre for Prison Studies, World Prison Population List, 9th ed. (latest available information as at early May 2011). 13-42285