Senegal has fully abolished the death penalty. Harsh treatment of pre-trial detainees was rampant but it seldom amounted to torture. Pre-trial detainees were forced to sleep on bare floors and were often subjected to lengthy interrogations. Torture of detainees was also not uncommon. Detainees were sometimes beaten with batons or intentionally sleep-deprived. Impunity for torture was generally high and confessions obtained under duress were not always thrown out of court. Prison conditions are horrible. Prisons were at nearly double capacity throughout the year. Prisoners lacked adequate access to food, water, sanitation, ventilation, and medical facilities. The government made no special accommodations for babies born in prison. They are held with their mothers until the age of one in regular holding. The government failed to respond to endemic insect infestations in several prisons. The government failed to guarantee access adequate access to legal counsel. Most Senegalese cannot afford a lawyer and the government failed to guarantee access to public defenders. Judicial independence, while institutionally intact, was hampered by a lack of access to legal counsel. Bail was arbitrarily applied. Probable cause is ill-defined under Senegalese law. If a crime is “flagrantly committed” then suspects may be arrested without a warrant. Probable cause is often abused and cases are seldom thrown out of court. Defamation is a criminal offense. The 2018 Code on Electronic Communications criminalizes the dissemination of false information via the Internet. The government is quick to ban demonstrations during times of unrest. Permits to protest must be obtained from the Ministry of the Interior in advance. The process to obtain these permits was sometimes stringent. Homosexuality is illegal but this law is unenforced. Abortion is absolutely illegal.