The Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) raised serious concerns Thursday about prison conditions and psychiatric care practices across Europe. The 34th General Report highlights issues pertaining to prison overcrowding, the continued influence of informal prisoner hierarchies, and the excessive use of pharmacological treatments in psychiatric institutions.
The CPT condemned the continued delegation of internal control to high-ranking inmates known in the post-Soviet world as smotriaschij, warning that such practices undermine official authority and may amount to inhuman or degrading treatment under Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights. According to the Committee, prisoners are often divided into rigid castes: informal leaders, ordinary prisoners, and “untouchables,” with the latter group facing severe social exclusion, humiliation and violence. Furthermore, it voiced concerns over widespread prison overcrowding, particularly in Western Europe, stating that such conditions limit access to rehabilitative activities, and undermine reintegration efforts.
Turning to psychiatric care, the CPT criticized the over-reliance on pharmacotherapy and emphasized the need for expanded psycho-social treatment options. Involuntary patients are often subject to seclusion or chemical restraint without adequate therapeutic support. For this, increased investment in community-based mental health services is essential.
CPT president Alan Mitchell called on the governments to adopt urgent criminal justice reforms and invest in infrastructure to address the issue. He further urged the member states to lay out comprehensive national strategies for dismantling the informal prisoner hierarchies and ensure the safety of all persons in detention.
The origins of this system can be traced back to Tsarist Russia, where a similar informal social order existed in prisons. However, it was under the Soviet regime that this hierarchical structure evolved into a more codified and pervasive system. The Soviet authorities, struggling with an ever-growing prison population, adopted this hierarchical structure to delegate authority and reduce the likelihood of riots or large-scale unrest. Therefore, the enduring impact of the informal prisoner caste system is evident in post-Soviet countries such as Georgia, Armenia and Ukraine.
