Do benefit sanctions breach ECHR article 3?

One of Public Law Project’s five strategic focus areas is benefit sanctioning. In this article, Sarah Clarke considers whether benefit sanctioning, particularly for people who are not well enough to work, could constitute inhuman or degrading treatment in breach of article 3. There is only space here to sketch out the basis of an argument and this article is not intended to give benefits advice. Readers should note there may be steps that claimants can take to mitigate their circumstances.