PRISON MANAGEMENT guards ‘exceeded their authority or abused the dignity of prisoners’.291 One of the most shocking cases was that of Yevgeny Makarov, who was subjected to repeated beatings with clubs by Russian prison guards; the events were captured on video and published in the Novaya Gazeta,292 causing an international outcry. The Russian authorities have since investigated the case, leading to the suspension of 17 prison employees and seven arrests.293 In an exceptional measure, the UN Committee against Torture called on Russia to report on efforts to bring the perpetrators to justice.294 The Convention against Torture Initiative (CTI) brought together Council of Europe member states to discuss ways to address and respond to torture and other abuse that take place during police custody and pre-trial detention.295 The CTI also held a regional seminar to discuss good practices regarding ratification and implementation of the UN Convention against Torture, basic safeguards in respect of arrest and detention of suspects, and good management approaches in relation to law enforcement.296 States shared good practice on torture prevention, including strategies to strengthen the role of the judiciary and prosecutors in preventing and responding to incidents of torture and ill-treatment, increasing professional standards in policing, and improving the management of prisons to ensure the humane treatment of prisoners. States also emphasised the importance of ‘checks and balances’ in monitoring places of detention through complaints bodies and National Human Rights Institutions. During transfers from prison to court, medical facilities or elsewhere, prisoners can find themselves confined in extremely small and crowded spaces and in poor and unsafe conditions, sometimes for prolonged periods. The Council of Europe has produced a Recommendation for member states to ensure that transportation is ‘always carried out in a humane, secure and safe manner’.297 solitary confinement of children and young offenders303 because of the serious risks of ‘long-term psychiatric and developmental harm’.304 There were reports of children spending more than 22 hours per day in their cells in the UK.305 (See Children and young people, page 22). Prisoners continue to be held in solitary confinement, often for long periods of time. In Spain, prisoners convicted of very serious offences are kept in solitary confinement for 21 hours a day in an eight-square-metre cell.298 The CPT called on Norway to improve its treatment of prisoners in solitary confinement following a visit to the country in May 2018,299 when prisoners were found to be locked up alone in their cells for 22 hours per day for prolonged periods, with only limited contact with staff. The CPT recommended that prisoners who were subjected to ‘complete exclusion from company’ should benefit from more structured programmes, purposeful activities and meaningful human contact on a daily basis. A report into the use of solitary confinement in Malawi, Kenya, Zambia and South Africa found that most of the countries failed to comply with the Nelson Mandela Rules and prison legislation dealing with solitary confinement was outdated in four out of the five countries.300 The authors called on these countries to ‘make substantial efforts to address the lack of independent review mechanisms of solitary confinement in their legislation’.301 In India, the Uttarakhand High Court found that keeping prisoners in custodial segregation/solitary confinement was unconstitutional.306 In the US, the Supreme Court noted that solitary confinement ‘comes perilously close to a penal tomb’.307 Following the 2018 ruling of the British Columbia Supreme Court that prolonged and indefinite solitary confinement was unconstitutional,308 the Canadian government has been given an extension until mid-June 2019 to change its practice of isolating prisoners for 22 hours or more a day without meaningful human contact, but only on the proviso that certain conditions are met immediately, including daily medical visits and an extra 30 minutes outside of cells each day.309 Medical research from the US supports the case against solitary confinement on the basis that it can do severe and long-lasting damage to the brain.302 In addition, there were calls by medical professionals in the UK to ban the RECOMMENDATION 14 States should ensure the safety of prisoners and staff at all times, including by improving prison conditions and investing in dynamic security approaches. Countries that have not ratified the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture should do so. All states should avoid the use of solitary confinement where possible and take steps towards its total abolition. Prison staff People working in prisons perform an important public service that is often misunderstood or subject to negative stereotyping. Their role is crucial for the effective rehabilitation and reintegration of prisoners and their job is complex and multi-faceted, demanding good interpersonal skills as well as the ability to deal with extremely challenging situations. Working conditions and remuneration 28 | should reflect the difficult nature of the work. In reality, staff shortages and budget cuts have led to an increase in dangerous and violent prison environments and prison staff in many countries continue to risk their physical and mental well-being.310 Assaults on prison staff increased by nearly a third from 2017 to 2018 in England and Wales.311 Russia has seen an increase in attacks on prison staff, who are reported to be suffering from ‘moral fatigue’.312 In 2018, prison staff in Bulgaria went on strike owing to poor remuneration,313 and in England and Wales, prison staff protested against working conditions and ‘unprecedented violence’.314 In some countries, prison staff are facing new risks to their health from exposure Penal Reform International and Thailand Institute of Justice | Global Prison Trends 2019