Periodic Reporting for period 1 - POIRE (Prison Oversight: Improving Prisons in Europe)
Berichtszeitraum: 2024-03-01 bis 2025-10-31
Europe prides itself as a leader in human rights protection, and a place where the rule of law is respected. Prisons are places where the core European value of respect for fundamental rights is under threat. Despite this, prisons in many states remain places where European values and human rights standards are at risk. With 1.5 million people in European prisons, a failure to comply with international human rights standards poses economic, social, and cultural threats. Globally, there is increasing recognition that prisons need independent oversight. Required under several international human rights treaties, prison oversight bodies are based on the principle that independent oversight of prisons is an effective way to prevent ill-treatment. A pan-European and long-standing prison oversight body, the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) has the mandate to visit prisons in 47 Council of Europe member states. However, the ERC-funded PRILA project from which POIRE derives, found low awareness and engagement with prison oversight bodies in prisoner populations and limited evidence of the effectiveness of state preparation for a visit from the CPT.
POIRE sought to create materials to support the awareness of people in prison of the CPT and materials to support staff preparing for a CPT visit and to test if they worked. We wanted to share these materials with other prison systems or monitoring bodies to support awareness of prison monitoring bodies and preparedness for visits amongst people in prison and prison staff.
POIRE sought to create materials to support the awareness of people in prison of the CPT and materials to support staff preparing for a CPT visit and to test if they worked. We wanted to share these materials with other prison systems or monitoring bodies to support awareness of prison monitoring bodies and preparedness for visits amongst people in prison and prison staff.
We selected three countries to be visited by the CPT during 2025: Spain, Romania and Belgium. We created a survey and interview guides in English, Romanian, Spanish, Flemish and French with intensive translation support as well as assistance from local academics and NGOs to ensure account was taken of linguistic and local contexts. We used these to assess the awareness levels, experiences, and opinions of the CPT and, critically, to find out what would be the best way for people in prison to get information about the CPT. We then took these findings and created three sets of materials designed to support improved awareness and understanding of the CPT. We also worked with experts on the CPT and prisons to help us. We developed a handout for people in prison in all these languages, a TV presentation for in-prison TV cells, and an in-person workshop on the CPT. We then assessed by surveys and interviews if people in prison felt more informed about the CPT and we found they did. We have made these materials openly accessible so that any prison system or monitoring body can use them to raise awareness of the CPT. This is important as ensuring people in prison are aware of human rights protections and monitoring bodies can support the protection of rights in prison as well as better engagement between people in prison and oversight bodies.
We also asked prison staff who were responsible for a visit from the CPT about their views and experiences of preparing for a CPT visit. PRILA showed that this preparation can be time-consuming, stressful, and sometimes a bit unknown and we wanted to create materials to support staff in this preparation. We created a survey and interview guide for prison staff managing the CPT visit in Spain, Romania and Belgium to assess their expectations, feelings and experiences of the CPT. We then created an online workshop for staff from all three countries to discuss the CPT visits they experienced. We created a briefing paper for staff on a visit from the CPT.
It was decided to make the materials we created Open Access to ensure the maximum societal benefit as any prison service or other body can use them to support awareness raising about the CPT. We can also offer training to prison systems for people in prison or staff based on our materials and what we found.
We also asked prison staff who were responsible for a visit from the CPT about their views and experiences of preparing for a CPT visit. PRILA showed that this preparation can be time-consuming, stressful, and sometimes a bit unknown and we wanted to create materials to support staff in this preparation. We created a survey and interview guide for prison staff managing the CPT visit in Spain, Romania and Belgium to assess their expectations, feelings and experiences of the CPT. We then created an online workshop for staff from all three countries to discuss the CPT visits they experienced. We created a briefing paper for staff on a visit from the CPT.
It was decided to make the materials we created Open Access to ensure the maximum societal benefit as any prison service or other body can use them to support awareness raising about the CPT. We can also offer training to prison systems for people in prison or staff based on our materials and what we found.
POIRE have created the first evaluated materials for people in prison and staff about the CPT. We also have created the first in-prison TV presentation for people in prison on the CPT. We have also developed a unique workshop on the CPT for people in prison. All of these materials were created by asking people in prison directly about their experiences, views, and how they wanted to learn about the CPT in three European countries.
We have also created a unique briefing paper for staff on the CPT based on staff experiences in real-time preparing for and responding to a CPT visit.
These materials are freely available.
We have also created a unique briefing paper for staff on the CPT based on staff experiences in real-time preparing for and responding to a CPT visit.
These materials are freely available.