Prison and Mental Health. The Case-Law of the European Court of Human Rights
This paper proposes, first, to take stock of the impact of recent case-law of the Court relating to the prohibition of inhuman and degrading treatment – and, incidentally, the right to life – regarding the domestic legal position of persons in prison suffering from mental health problems (I and II). Next, it will discern how these legal precedents support reflection on the meaning of prison for this group of people who are doubly vulnerable (III). It should be noted that our focus is on people who have committed an offence or a crime and who suffer from mental disorders, regardless of the inmates’ profile or when their mental disorder first appeared.