Prisons develop their own rules and their own distinctive cultures. This has a direct impact on the dignity and rights of detainees. In a new analytical paper we look at how monitoring bodies can contribute to positive culture change in places of detention.

For many women, custody means threats of rape, sexual violence, insults and humiliation. On International Women's Day 2013 the APT, in partnership with Penal Reform International, launches a paper on how detention monitoring bodies, established to prevent torture and ill-treatment, can incorporate a gender perspective to better protect the rights of women in detention.

Torture and other ill-treatment often happen during the early stages of detention – during arrest, transport and interrogation by the police. In a new practical guide, the APT outlines a step-by-step methodology for monitoring visits to police stations. You can download the publication and watch a short video on the critical moments of police detention and why independent monitoring prevents abuse.

The Association for the Prevention of Torture works worldwide to ensure respect for human rights and dignity in places of detention. We promote independent monitoring visits to prisons and all other places where persons are deprived of their liberty.

Jean-Jacques Gautier, who founded the APT in 1977, was convinced that it would be possible to prevent torture through a system of unannounced visits to all kinds of places of detention. This new short film shows how his idea has become a global reality through the work of detention monitors in different parts of the world.