Common knowledge? Awareness of national and international oversight bodies among incarcerated individuals in Spain

Abstract

Oversight bodies are recognised as important resources to prevent ill-treatment in places where individuals are deprived of their freedom. Despite this recognition, and the existence of such bodies at both national and supra-national levels, little is known about how incarcerated people perceive them. This study sheds light on this issue by examining the awareness of a national and a supra-national body among incarcerated men and women in Spain (n = 1,325 individuals housed in six prisons). It estimates the proportion of individuals who are aware of the National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) and the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT). Additionally, it analyses factors associated with awareness, including a wide range of personal and sentence-related factors, as well as those associated with life in prison. The findings reveal moderate to high levels of awareness of the Spanish NPM (57%-74% across prisons) and low levels of awareness of the CPT (10%-29% across prisons). Notably, awareness levels are heterogeneous, with older individuals and those with higher levels of education reporting greater awareness of both bodies. Institutionalisation also played a role, with people who had been imprisoned longer reporting greater awareness of the CPT, while repeat incarceration was associated with greater awareness of the NPM. Other factors, such as primary language and sentence status, were only relevant for NPM awareness, with those whose main language was not Spanish and individuals on remand being less likely to be aware of the NPM. These findings underscore the importance of raising awareness about prison oversight bodies intended to support people in prison, particularly among specific groups.