CAT/OP/BRA/1 conditions far inferior to the rest of the detainees, and were allegedly subject to frequent beatings. 86. The SPT considers the above allegations to be cases of physical and mental torture or ill-treatment. The SPT condemns all acts of torture and ill-treatment and recalls that torture cannot be justified under any circumstance. The SPT reiterates its call for the Brazilian authorities to condemn any act of torture firmly and publicly and to take all the necessary steps to prevent torture and ill-treatment. Preventive steps include inter alia the conduct of prompt, impartial and independent investigations, the establishment of an efficient complaints system, and the prosecution and punishment of alleged perpetrators. B. 1. (a) Penitentiary institutions General issues Registers 87. In all prisons visited, the SPT checked the registers, reviewed personal files and held talks with prison staff responsible for keeping and updating registers. While prison records were kept electronically in the penitentiary systems in Rio de Janeiro and Espírito Santo, registers of the facilities visited in Goiás were not computerized and much of the record keeping was done by hand. 88. The SPT recommends the establishment of a uniform computerized system in all the states, for registering admissions and keeping other records. 89. An examination of the prison records in the Ary Franco pre-trial facility revealed that seven inmates had died in that detention centre since the beginning of the year 2011. In most cases, the cause of death was unclear and/or the circumstances that led to the death were not available. The SPT took note that during the same period there had been a total of 91 deaths in prison custody only in the state of Rio de Janeiro. 90. The SPT requests the State party to provide detailed information, including death certificates and autopsy reports, on the cause and circumstance of all deaths that have occurred in places of detention, as well as information in respect of independent investigations conducted in this connection. (b) Separation of categories of inmates 91. The SPT was pleased to note that the separation of male and female detainees in prisons was strictly observed, and that female prisoners were generally guarded by female prison personnel. It noted, however, as mentioned above in relation to police stations, that the lack of adequate facilities led to situations where convicted prisoners were held together with pre-trial detainees. 92. In almost all the prisons visited, the SPT noticed the presence of organised criminal groups. Inmates were kept in separate facilities or cellblocks on the basis of the criminal faction to which they alleged to be affiliated. In this regard, the SPT observed that the inmates’ personal files in Ary Franco included a statement signed by the inmate providing that he had agreed to be assigned to a particular cellblock under the control of a particular faction, assuming responsibility for his own safety in that regard. 15