Prisoners are a uniquely vulnerable social group and protecting them from oppressive states has given rise to a complex web of standards generated by a variety of international mechanisms and processes. Protecting Prisoners examines the most detailed and far-reaching set of custodial standards yet devised-those of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT)--and relates them to those of other European and United Nations bodies. The book also examines the reaction of selected Council of Europe member states--Belgium, France, Hungary, the Netherlands, Turkey, and the United Kingdom--to the application of those standards in CPT reports. This dual perspective providesa critical insight into the degree to which the development of international human rights law is having a practical impact on the situation of prisoners.