ICCPR Recommendations 2024, paragraph 35
Plain English recommendation
Government should increase efforts to ensure conditions in detention align with international human rights standards, including the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (the Nelson Mandela Rules). In particular, the Government should:
(a) Continue efforts to reduce prison overcrowding. In particular, widen the use of non-custodial measures. The United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for Non-custodial Measures (the Tokyo Rules) should be used as an alternative to imprisonment. Also, allow a community service order instead of prison for fine defaults;
(b) Limit solitary confinement and administrative or disciplinary segregation to a last resort. Use them for as short a time as possible. Ensure their use is subject to judicial review;
(c) Body search procedures must be strictly supervised. Invasive searches should be conducted only in exceptional cases and they must be as unintrusive as possible. They must fully respect the individual’s dignity and gender identity;
(d) Increase efforts to prevent self-inflicted deaths, suicide and self-harm in custody. Ensure all of these cases are investigated independently and thoroughly.
Original UN recommendation
The State party should intensify its efforts to ensure that conditions of detention fully comply with relevant international human rights standards, including the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (the Nelson Mandela Rules). In particular, the State party should:
(a) Continue its efforts to reduce prison overcrowding, particularly through wider application of non-custodial measures, as provided for in the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for Non-custodial Measures (the Tokyo Rules), as an alternative to imprisonment, and provide for a community service order as an alternative to imprisonment for the non-payment of fines;
(b) Effectively limit the use of solitary confinement and administrative or disciplinary segregation as a measure of last resort and for as short a time as possible, and ensure that the use of such measures is subject to judicial review;
(c) Ensure that body search procedures are strictly supervised and that invasive searches are conducted only in exceptional cases and in the least intrusive manner possible, with full respect for the dignity and gender identity of the individual concerned;
(d) Increase its efforts to prevent self-inflicted deaths, including by suicide, and self-harm in custody and ensure that cases of self-inflicted death, including by suicide, and self-harm are independently and thoroughly investigated.
Date of UN examination
03/05/2024
Original UN document
Download the original ICCPR concluding observations 2024 on the UN website.
Last updated on 09/04/2025