'Preventing Torture' comprises a documentary and empirical study - of a kind rare in the field of international human rights law - of the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and the work of the Committee (the CPT) established under it.

This pathbreaking documentary and empirical study considers in detail the work of the latest actor on the international stage attempting to prevent torture. The European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment (the CPT), established in 1989, represents a new phase in international human rights intervention. The authors, an international lawyer and a criminologist, bring their different analytical perspectives to bear on this innovative human rights mechanism.

an intelligent, thoroughly informative account of European efforts to prevent torture and inhumane conditions of confinement ... The authors' impressive research on the confidential procedure employs original sources and interviews to present a comprehensive overview of an initial eight-year period ... The study adds immeasurably to earlier work by effectively summarizing previously reported details of treaty negotiation to examine implementation ... This highly recommended reference for human rights scholars and students should also inform general readers in Europe and beyond.