Contents Introduction By Nick Hardwick, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Prisons 4 1 Context About the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture (OPCAT) The UK’s National Preventive Mechanism Political context and policy environment 8 9 9 12 2 The fifth year NPM structure and coordination Member-specific developments Joint working between NPM members Ensuring full coverage of all places of detention (OPCAT Art.4.2) Submitting proposals and observations on legislation (OPCAT Art.19c) Thematic areas International scrutiny and collaboration 18 19 19 24 25 26 28 31 3 Five years of the UK NPM – reflecting and looking ahead NPM self-assessment UK NPM and University of Bristol Human Rights Implementation Centre event ‘The UK’s NPM: Five Years On’ Looking ahead to year six 36 37 40 44 4 Appendices 46 1. Written Ministerial Statement 31 March 2009 47 2. Member Overview 49 3. Terms of Reference for the NPM Steering Group 54 4. Terms of Reference for the Children and Young People’s sub-group 56 5. Independent Advisory Panel on Deaths in Custody: Common principles of safer restraint 58 6. NPM response to the UN Committee against Torture 60 7. Declaration by European National Preventive Mechanisms on the need for Council of Europe rules on immigration detention 62 8. UK NPM Self-Assessment Questionnaire 63 9. NPM fact sheets 69 10. List of abbreviations 74 11. Further information about the UK NPM 75