A/HRC/42/20 and for children detained in adult facilities and police custody.72 Lack of work and educational activities, which is exacerbated by overcrowding, is also conducive to interprisoner violence. 3. Violence against prison staff 22. Violence by persons deprived of their liberty not only affects other detainees but also personnel working in detention settings. The Committee against Torture has highlighted violence and assaults faced by prison staff and expressed its concern over the frequency and magnitude of the phenomenon. 73 Prison staff can be affected by gang violence, with guards and their families intimidated and threatened and even killed outside of detention facilities by individuals affiliated with criminal gangs operating inside prisons.74 Fear of such reprisals can prevent prison staff from acting to protect inmates from inter-prisoner violence.75 C. Violence, death and serious injury resulting from environmental factors 1. Conditions of detention 23. Inadequate conditions of detention can also be a factor contributing to deaths and serious injuries in detention. When they are seriously inadequate they can constitute an immediate or long-term danger to life.76 Infectious and communicable diseases spread easily in overcrowded detention facilities due to poor hygiene and sanitation and to infestation with vermin and insects, which may have an adverse impact on the right to life of detainees.77 24. Denial or inadequate provision of food and water to detainees can also adversely affect their right to life. The Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment has expressed its concern when food and water was not provided in police custody,78 when it was of inadequate quantity and quality, and when there were no budgets to feed detainees. 79 In extreme cases, minimal rations of food can cause severe weight loss, resulting in the deterioration of detainees’ general health, causing diarrhoea, reducing their ability to recover from injuries and ultimately causing their death.80 25. Fires in detention facilities are also a cause of death and serious injury, 81 sometimes resulting in the death of several dozen detainees.82 Overcrowding can lead to an increased death toll as authorities may be unable to ensure the protection of detainees in such emergencies.83 2. Self-harm 26. Self-harm is an important cause of death and serious injury for persons deprived of their liberty and human rights mechanisms have repeatedly expressed concern regarding its prevalence.84 The World Health Organization has noted that suicide is often the single most 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 8 See CAT/C/USA/CO/3-5; A/HRC/13/39/Add.4. See CAT/C/IRL/CO/2; CAT/C/CHE/CO/7; CAT/C/NZL/CO/6-7. See CAT/OP/BOL/3; Correctional Service of Canada, “Prison gangs: a review and survey of strategies”. See CAT/OP/BOL/3. See ICRC, “Guidelines for Investigating Deaths in Custody” (Geneva, 2013). See A/HRC/30/19; A/HRC/31/CRP.1. See CAT/OP/MNG/1. See CAT/OP/BEN/3. See A/HRC/31/CRP.1. See CAT/C/URY/CO/3; submission of the Defensor del Pueblo de la Nación (Argentina). See OHCHR, “Statement by UN Human Rights Office on Venezuela jail deaths”, 29 March 2018. See A/HRC/30/19. See CAT/C/ARM/CO/4.