Foreword by the Chairman Foreword by the Chairman The Federal Act on the Commission for the Prevention of Torture gives the Commission a mandate to, among other things, inspect detention facilities and submit recommendations to the responsible authorities “with the objective of improving the treatment and living conditions of persons who have been deprived of their liberty”. This mission appears unobjectionable at first glance. However, it has proved to be a major challenge in practice. The reports prepared by the NCPT following its inspections include, as the law requires, observations concerning the need for improvements at the facilities in question and recommendations on how this can be achieved. Inevitably, these observations contain an element of criticism, otherwise there would be no need for recommendations. These assessments can sometimes spark some irritation and annoyance. The Commission does not always succeed in formulating the recommendations in such a way as to make them understood not as negative judgments, but as well-intended encouragement to review possibilities for improvement. Often, we are accused of having focused only on the negative rather than accentuating the positive. I can understand these ob- Activity Report NCPT 2017 1