Learnings and Discussions on Defining and Measuring Torturous Environments

This chapter details the various works conducted over the past decade to validate the Torturing Environment Scale (TES) as a tool to assist in the development of a torture environment profile. The TES is designed to be a qualitative analysis and profiling tool rather than a quantitative tool for measuring torture. However, it does allow for experimental studies in certain cases. We describe the challenges involved in evaluating torture environments and provide recommendations to enhance inter-rater reliability based on practical experience and controlled studies.