- 17 The CPT’s delegation again received multiple allegations of intimidation and violence perpetrated by other prisoners and many prisoners continued to possess make-shift knives for selfprotection. Complaining was still considered unthinkable, according to the persons met, as victims not only expected that no action would be taken officially but also feared reprisals from other prisoners. At lock-up, there were still only two officers responsible for transferring the hundreds of prisoners from the yard and corridors into their cells; the sense of vulnerability and the fear of being overwhelmed at any moment continued to place a great strain on these officers. The CPT’s delegation observed once again that the prison only “functioned” due to the fact that the officers were assisted by certain prisoners who were essentially carrying out prison officer duties, such as receiving all requests for exiting a wing and recording which prisoners left and entered the wing. In such conditions, it is difficult to see how one or even two prison officers can be expected to know what is happening within a wing, let alone keep control. Clearly, such an approach to the management of prisons forsakes their duty of care to all prisoners thus undermining their legitimacy and opening the door to corrupt practices. 26. As set out in the CPT’s report on its 2019 visit, while the situation at Korydallos Men’s Prison is more extreme, it is not unique. The 2021 follow-up visit to Nigrita Prison found there was still a clear hierarchy of stronger groups of prisoners within the wings, and that prisoners who did not follow the internal order would be intimidated or even beaten or chased off the wing. Indeed, the prison management explained that the Wing that caused them the most trouble was the one where there was no clearly defined hierarchy among the prisoners to maintain order. By contrast, at the small prisons of Chios and Kos, the delegation found that there was less inter-prisoner violence and intimidation and that most instances of severe violence would result in the persons concerned being transferred off the island to another prison. Nevertheless, at Chios Prison, the delegation found that violent incidents were not always recorded, or the perpetrators disciplined. At Corfu Prison, the allocation policy was based upon nationality and language and each wing appeared to have a hierarchy of prisoners who kept order and there were few instances of interprisoner violence. Supervision of prisoners was almost entirely through CCTV with prison officers only entering the wings four times a day to unlock and lock the cells. 27. Inter-prisoner violence, to a large extent, continues to be fuelled by a number of factors, notably, chronic understaffing, overcrowding, the influence exercised by stronger groups of prisoners, poor material conditions, a lack of activities and a high prevalence of illicit drug use. At the same time, there is an absence of a proper risks and needs assessment of prisoners upon admission and of any categorisation of prisoners based upon such an assessment. The Committee must reiterate that the duty of care which is owed by the State to those in their charge includes the responsibility to protect them from other inmates who wish to cause them harm.