The University of Texas at Austin

Event: The Importance of Dialogue and Collaboration in the Prison Oversight Process

Speaker(s): Silvia Casale, President, Council of Europe's Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman and Degrading Treatment of Prisoners

Date: April 24, 2006

Length: 19 minutes

Description: In this lecture, which was given at an LBJ School conference called "Opening Up a Closed World: What Constitutes Effective Prison Oversight," Silvia Casale talks about the importance of dialogue and collaboration among representatives of the Council of Europe's Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman and Degrading Treatment of Prisoners (CPT), prison policymakers, and prison managers and staff. She describes the CPT as a nonjudicial treaty body composed of neutral observers who work to prevent ill treatment in all custodial settings in 46 European countries. In describing the CPT's mandate, Casale states that the CPT has the authority to move freely inside institutions, speak privately to persons held there, and request access to any information it feels is necessary to fulfill its mandate. She also discusses mechanisms of oversight, the principle of confidentiality, problems in prisons, and the obligation by prisons to respond to CPT recommendations. She emphasizes that "oversight can only work if those who remain after the visiting team has departed are persuaded that change is necessary."

Introduction by LBJ School Adjunct Professor Michele Deitch.

Related:

• Leading prison experts to convene to advance transparency and accountability in U.S. prisons
• Opening Up a Closed World: What Constitutes Effective Prison Oversight?
• Taking a hard look at prisons: LBJ School class explores imprisonment policies and myths
• LBJ School Screening Room
• Reflections on 40 years of Outside Scrutiny of Prisons and Prison Policy in the U.S.
• Videos of Conference Sessions

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