Recognition and treatment of law enforcement violence against detainees and prisoners: A survey among Israeli physicians and medical students.

Introduction: Physicians regularly encounter victims of violence. Although some at-risk groups are increasingly recognized as such, the risks faced by prisoners and detainees are often overlooked. The scope of violence against them is unknown and their treatment is often hampered by unique social and institutional impediments.

The Istanbul protocol (manual on the effective investigation and documentation of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment): implementation and education in Israel.

All victims of violence encountered in our emergency rooms and clinics need to be recognized and documented as such. Although there has been progress in the implementation of rules concerning (domestic) violence against women, children and the elderly, the management of cases where patients have been subjected to violence while under the custody of legal enforcement agencies, or patients who have been victims of torture, is still not sufficiently standardized. We describe the Istanbul Protocol of the United Nations, an excellent tool that can help physicians and health professionals recognize and treat cases of torture or institutional violence.