The use of torture during the investigative stage of criminal justice proceedings, often shortly after arrest or initial detention. Torture is used to coerce confessions and often is the simplest means by which to expedite the investigative process. The UN Special Rapporteur on Torture has observed that it is usually “ordinary people” suspected of “ordinary” crime who are most commonly the victims of torture and other ill-treatment. Of the nearly ten million people detained globally, those held in pretrial detention face the most significant risk of torture and other forms of ill-treatment.The detainment of an accused person in a criminal case before the trial has taken place. Though pre-trial detainees have not been found guilty of any crime, they are still deprived of their freedom, either because they cannot afford bail or because bail has been denied. Pre-trial detention exposes countless individuals to horrific conditions and abuse – often for months or years – before any hearing on the merits of their case has been held. For more than ten years, International Bridges to Justice has been expanding its tools to support defenders of justice and human rights throughout the world. They conduct an array of global programming designed to reach the largest number of human rights and criminal justice defenders possible – by developing a wide range of training manuals, country assessment and scorecard tools, and other resources, all accessible by lawyers everywhere through IBJ’s on line e-learning program. Website: http://www.ibj.org/ An attorney from Sri Lanka