Book Description

In the UK and elsewhere there has been growing recognition of detainee's vulnerability and the need for robust, independent mechanisms to protect them from ill-treatment. This view was given formal recognition by the United Nations when it adopted the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (OPCAT) and its ratification by the UK in 2003. The basic premise of OPCAT is that protections for those who are detained can be strengthened by a system of regular visits to all places of detention. OPCAT requires the designation of a national preventive mechanism (NPM) to carry out such visits and to monitor treatment. The UK NPM was established in March 2009 when it was decided that the functions of the mechanism would be fulfilled by the collective action of 18 existing bodies with the HM Inspectorate of Prisons as co-ordinator. This report is the first annual report from the NPM in the UK. It details the individual and collective activities of its members in the period 1 April 2009 to 31 March 2010. As well as providing background information on OPCAT and the role of the NPMs, it outlines the role of the individual members and their detention-related activities. The NPM also makes its first collective recommendation that the UK government identifies any places of detention not visited by the NPM and ensures that those gaps are addressed