RT Article
T1 Prison Inspection and Monitoring: The Need to Reform European Law and Policy
JF European journal on criminal policy and research
VO 27
IS 2
SP 285
OP 305
A1 Rogan, Mary
LA English
YR 2021
UL https://krimdok.uni-tuebingen.de/Record/1760414751
AB Prison inspection and monitoring bodies are important safeguards against breaches of human rights. In recent years, prison inspection and monitoring has become a key focus for international human rights standards, particularly through the introduction of the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture (OPCAT) and the UN’s Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, which recognize the need for robust and effective systems of prison oversight. This article contends that European legal standards on inspection and monitoring have not kept pace with international developments. The content of European law concerning domestic-level prison inspection and monitoring is not clear, nor has it been consolidated or examined in depth. Through engaging in comparative analysis with international instruments, this article analyses standards promulgated by Council of Europe and European Union bodies on inspection and monitoring, arguing that they need reform in light of international developments. Taking the opportunity presented by the revision process for the European Prison Rules and associated commentary, the article proposes improvements to European legal frameworks. It welcomes proposals for stronger powers for inspection and monitoring bodies, advocates for a specific instrument on prison inspection and monitoring and calls for more empirical understanding of how such bodies operate in practice.
K1 Inspection
K1 Penal Policy
K1 Europe
K1 Prisons
K1 Human Rights
K1 Monitoring
K1 Prison rules
DO 10.1007/s10610-019-09420-8