The Case of Miguel Castro Castro Prison: A Historic Landmark for Latin America

The author, who litigated the case in her own name and represented the majority group of victims in the proceedings before the Corte Interamericana, offers a commentary on the ruling. She notes that it is an extremely important precedent, insofar as it addresses a broad range of issues, such as the use of force against persons deprived of liberty and torture practices against both male and female prisoners. But perhaps the most important point of the ruling is that for the first time an international human rights tribunal had the opportunity to address a case involving the female prison population, which has allowed the establishment of important binding standards relating to the rights of female prisoners in the region and a global precedent under international law.