Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41199221›Full record

ArticleBMC public health2025

Violations of the right to food during deprivation of liberty: a global socio-legal assessment of United Nations Human Rights Treaty Bodies and the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment mission reporting on selected prisons since 2015.

Marie Claire Van Hout, Ulla-Britt Klankwarth, Lisa Glaum, Heino Stöver

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC public health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. [Health and risk behaviors and risky conditions: prison as a challenge for healthcare provision].Bundesgesundheitsblatt, Gesundheitsforschung, Gesundheitsschutz · 2025
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Marie Claire Van HoutSouth East Technological University, Cork Road Campus, Cork Road, Waterford, X91 K0EK, Ireland.
Ulla-Britt KlankwarthInstitute for Addiction Research, Faculty of Health and Social Work, Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences, Nibelungenplatz 1, D- 60318, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Lisa GlaumFaculty of Public Health, Bielefeld University, Universitätsstraße 25, D-33615, Bielefeld, Germany.
Heino StöverInstitute for Addiction Research, Faculty of Health and Social Work, Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences, Nibelungenplatz 1, D- 60318, Frankfurt am Main, Germany. hstoever@fb4.fra-uas.de.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundStates have a heightened duty of care owed to persons deprived of their liberty extending beyond the prohibition of torture and discrimination. Due to their complete reliance on the State, provision of adequate and quality nutrition in prison is a fundamental human right of those detained. Failure to meet the basic requirements of sustenance or deny/restrict food constitutes cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, or even torture.

methodsIn order to examine global progress in protecting and upholding the rights of people living in prisons to adequate food and nutrition, we conducted a global socio-legal assessment of the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Treaty Bodies (Committee against Torture, Committee for the Rights of the Child, Human Rights Committee, Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women); and the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) mission reporting on selected prisons since 2015. A comprehensive global search in English and French was conducted on the Council of Europe and the UN Human Rights Treaty databases. Following double screening, the final dataset of 237 reports spanning six continents (129 countries) was charted, tabularized against norms and standards (UN Nelson Mandela Rules, Bangkok Rules, the European Prison Rules) and analyzed thematically.

resultsIdentified areas of concern and possible human rights violations documented by prison inspections centered on six key themes: geographies where the right to adequate food in prisons is of concern; inadequacy of food provision; poor food preparation practices, environmental health standards and disease; reliance on external support for food, corruption and exploitation; food as punishment and control measure; and vulnerability of special populations in prison.

conclusionsDespite international and regional human rights norms and assurances, prison inspections revealed that standards and adequacy of food and nutrition in prisons are often lacking due to resource scarcity, violence, punishment, inter-personal dynamics and corruption. UN Human Rights Treaty Bodies and CPT inspections must continue to thoroughly assess food standards and provision in prisons, ensure that the denial or restriction of food as punishment is prohibited, and include a focus on those with gender and age-related, religious and medical needs.

Indexed as

Human RightsPrisonersPrisonsTortureHumansPunishmentUnited NationsDeprivation of libertyFoodHuman rightsHungerNutritionPrison

Identifiers

PMID41199221
PMCPMC12590863

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.