In its 2025 Report published on Wednesday 15 April, the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) expresses its concern at the resurgence of ill-treatment of persons deprived of their liberty in places where real progress had been made in combating this phenomenon in Europe.
These include police stations, prisons, detention centres for foreign nationals, mental health establishments and social care homes.
According to the Council of Europe’s experts, prison overcrowding - a potential source of inhuman and degrading treatment, but also a factor in crime - is in danger of becoming the norm in several prison systems as a result of the continuing increase in the prison population since the Covid-19 pandemic, a phenomenon that is particularly affecting the pre-trial detention system.
In the CPT’s view, this problem can be overcome by adopting multidimensional approaches, including reviewing sentencing policies, promoting alternatives to detention and setting a strict limit on the number of people detained.
In this context, the renewed interest of European States in outsourcing detention to other countries will be closely monitored, announces the CPT.
As far as police establishments are concerned, the Committee notes improvements in the professionalisation of law enforcement officers and a fall in the number of allegations of ill-treatment during questioning, but stresses that these abuses mainly occur during informal questioning.
The CPT advocates zero tolerance, calls for further training, and insists on the use of identification systems, the introduction of complaints mechanisms and measures such as video surveillance and body cameras to combat impunity.
In its report, the CPT highlights the serious shortcomings that still exist in detention centres for foreign nationals.
It highlights the overcrowding in unsuitable premises and calls for alternative solutions for people in vulnerable situations, such as children, and mothers with young children.
Another cause for concern is the allegations of summary and forced removals (pushbacks), which sometimes result in serious physical violence.
Many good practices have been observed in mental health establishments, notes the CPT, but problems remain, often linked to shortages of health care staff.
Isolation, placement and mechanical or chemical restraint would require more rigorous control and greater accountability, the Committee also points out.
With regard to social homes, a new standard has been announced for 2026, which will cover the prevention of abuse, the definition of minimum standards for living conditions and respect for privacy.
This standard could play an important role in combating disparities at European level.
Link to the CPT report: https://aeur.eu/f/lk5 (Original version in French by Véronique Leblanc)