41
States should prioritize preventive actions aimed precisely at controlling and reducing the
factors of violence in prisons, above and beyond repressive actions. Drawing up and
effectively implementing preventive strategies for avoiding the escalation of violence in
prisons is essential for ensuring prisoners’ lives and personal security. Similarly, it is
essential to ensure that persons deprived of liberty have the conditions required for living
in dignity.
117.
In this regard, the Principles and Best Practices on the Protection of
Persons Deprived of Liberty establish: “In accordance with international human rights law,
appropriate and effective measures shall be adopted to prevent violence amongst persons
deprived of liberty, or between persons deprived of liberty and the personnel”; and��
suggests the following measures, among others, to achieve those ends:
(a)
Separate the different categories of persons deprived of liberty
in conformity with the criteria set down in the present
document;
(b)
Provide periodic and appropriate instruction and training for the
personnel;
(c)
Increase the number of personnel in charge of internal security
and surveillance, and set up continuous internal surveillance
patterns;
(d)
Effectively prevent the presence of weapons, drugs, alcohol, and
other substances and objects forbidden by law, by means of
regular searches and inspections, and by using technological and
other appropriate methods, including searches to personnel;
(e)
Set up early warning mechanisms to prevent crises or
emergencies;
(f)
Promote mediation and the peaceful resolution of internal
conflicts;
(g)
Prevent and combat all types of abuse of authority and
corruption; and
(h)
Eradicate impunity by investigating and punishing all acts of
violence and corruption in accordance with the law. 142
This list of best practices is not definitive; it is based on the experience of the Inter‐
American human rights system and on consideration of the main international obligations
of States. Accordingly, as can be seen throughout this report, another series of measures
need to be adopted, in keeping with the specific context of each State, to effectively
respect and ensure the fundamental rights of persons deprived of liberty.
142
IACHR, Principles and Best Practices on the Protection of Persons Deprived of Liberty in the Americas,
Principle XXIII (1).
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