NPMs are in an ideal position to monitor violence and its root causes the implementation of international standards that support and reinforce the prohibition of torture and illtreatment. Their role is all the more important, because with their strong powers to access places of detention, official records and persons deprived of their liberty, NPMs are able to assess if these standards are met in law and in practice. This Project draws on previous research of the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Fundamental and Human Rights.1 In particular, it adopts the assumption that improving prison conditions ‘at home’ can contribute to increased mutual trust between the European Union (EU) Member States. Based on this, the Project focuses on how NPMs can effectively improve detention conditions across the EU as well as contribute to the consolidation and harmonisation of detention standards. To support NPMs in this task, this Handbook provides a practical tool for improving the understanding of: • The thematic issue of violence and the risks associated with it • The existing international standards on violence and those pertaining to its prevention • How to apply these international standards in practice and effectively prevent and monitor violence The Handbook was written with the aim to raise awareness among NPMs on certain topics which, 1. Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Human Rights and Human Rights Implementation Centre, Enhancing Impact of National Preventive Mechanisms. Strengthening the Follow-up on NPM Recommendations in the EU: Strategic Development, Current Practices and the Way Forward (2015); Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Human Rights and Academy of European Law (ERA), The Future of Mutual Trust and the Prevention of Ill-treatment - Judicial cooperation and the Engagement of National Preventive Mechanisms (2017).