Why draft a thematic report?

There are a number of reasons why NPMs may wish to publish a report on a specific thematic issue.

First, thematic reports are especially useful way to address complex and systemic issues that go beyond a single place of deprivation of liberty. Thematic reports are likely to contain recommendations that are aimed at a wide range of different institutions and that relate to both the legal framework and the practices found in different detention settings. They may thus enable NPMs to focus on problems and propose solutions more effectively than in their individual visit reports.

Second, the publicity and media attention around thematic reports can help generate political will around issues that might not otherwise be on the agenda of politicians and policy makers. They can thus contribute to changing laws and public policies that might otherwise be stuck as low priorities.

Third, thematic reports are extremely valuable an awareness raising and educational tool. They can help to introduce, expose and explain complex detention issues to a wide audience that might otherwise not be aware of them. In addition, the publicity around a thematic report can help demonstrate the role and value of the NPM to policymakers and the public.

Nevertheless, thematic report should not be considered as a replacement for visit reports. Because they target a range of institutions, follow-up to thematic reports may be more complicated, with responsibility dispersed among several facilities, and some potentially “hiding” behind this fact. For this reason, and depending on their resources, NPMs may wish to first prioritise visit reports, and then build on them later with a more thematic focus.