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3.STANDARDS
Having adopted a broad definition of prison violence, identifying key
standards relevant to prevent it is not an easy task. Violence being a complex
phenomenon with a variety of causes, almost all prison standards are
somehow relevant to its prevention. An additional difficulty is that there is not
one comprehensive instrument setting out guidelines for addressing violence
in prison, but that relevant standards are dispersed across a multitude of
different documents, often providing different levels of protection. Moreover,
international standards are frequently phrased in a broad manner that is not
precise enough and may be difficult to apply in practice.
Nevertheless, knowing international standards on prison violence is a
precondition for effective monitoring. The following section thus aims to
collate all relevant standards applicable to prison violence in one place to
offer a brief and easily accessible overview for NPMs.
Part 3 starts by illustrating the relationship between violence and the
prohibition of torture and other forms of ill-treatment. Part 3.2 further collects
all international standards that were identified as particularly important in
the prevention of violence and thus as relevant factors to consider when
investigating prison violence and its root causes. These include, amongst
others, standards on the maintenance of safety and security (§ 3.2.1), on
ensuring accountability and victim protection (§ 3.2.2) as well as on living
conditions of prisoners and staff in prison that were identified as particularly
relevant for the prevention of violence (§ 3.2.3 and 3.2.4).
Monitoring Prison Violence
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