4. Violence, sexual abuse and torture in prisons

Key points • Violence in prisons is often clandestine because of the fear of reprisal when it is reported. • Because violence is not brought into the open, it is easily overlooked or underestimated. • Authorities are obliged to protect prisoners against violence, which must not constitute an additional punishment on top of deprivation of liberty. • Violence begets violence, so prison violence inhibits rehabilitation for normal life. • Violence occurs mostly in high-security facilities and prisons with coercive practices, even though the security measures have been established to minimize the violence. • A key performance indicator for the prevention of violence is that prisoners feel safe and secure. • About 25% of prisoners are victimized by violence each year while 4–5% experience sexual violence and 1–2% are raped. • Prevention may focus on the prisoners by identifying groups with special needs who are at risk of being victimized. • Prevention may focus on creating a positive prison climate to encourage respect, humanity and fairness.