UN anti-torture watchdog urges Australia to reduce ‘extraordinary’ number of prisoners on remand

Report also calls for spit hoods to be banned and strip searches to be limited after UN visit last year

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The United Nations’ anti-torture watchdog has urged Australia to curb the extraordinary number of people awaiting trial or sentencing in jails and ban the use of spit hoods.

A report, released by the UN subcommittee on the prevention of torture (SPT) this week, also called for the limiting of routine strip-searches. It comes after the body visited Australia in October last year but terminated the visit after it was prevented from entering detention facilities in New South Wales and Queensland.