Areas of Work
The Civil Society in the Penal System Association (Ceza İnfaz Sisteminde Sivil Toplum Derneği, CİSST) was founded in 2006 in Istanbul. CİSST works to protect the rights and liberties of prisoners and ensure that the rights, conditions, and practices in prisons in Turkey comply with human dignity and universal standards of human rights. CİSST has undertaken several initiatives to address issues related to torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment, including monitoring and reporting on prion conditions, strategic litigation and advocacy efforts aimed at addressing human rights violations, legal support and counseling to prisoners and their families, training and capacity building, and the publication of resources and guides, such as the Prisoners’ Rights Handbook and thematic reports on related issues. CISST is the only and main human rights organization in Turkey focusing on the situation in penitentiary and working to protect the rights and liberties of prisoners and to provide that the rights, conditions, and practices in prisons in Turkey. It was founded in 2006 in Istanbul. CISST adopts an inclusive and holistic human rights approach, bringing into focus the situations of various groups of prisoners with diverse needs, namely the LGBTI+, disabled, elderly, foreign, women, child, or sick people in prisons, those sentenced to aggravated imprisonment for life, and worker and student prisoners.