Communication with other actors, including the SPT and the press;
Data protection;
Employment of ad hoc external experts, necessary qualifications and terms of reference for their work.
IV.Implementation of activities
A.Planning
9.The NPM should ensure that it has inventories for all places of detention and keeps an archive of all relevant and available
information about places of detention and the treatment of persons held there.
10.The NPM should ensure that it has criteria for selection of places to be visited which ensure that all places of detention are visited
regularly, taking into account the type and size of institutions and their size and level of known human rights problem (whilst leaving
room for flexibility in the allocation of resources to ensure that follow-up and urgent visits can be undertaken).
11.The composition of the visiting team should take into account the necessary knowledge, experience and skills of members, and its
gender balance and adequate representation of ethnic and minority groups. The visiting team should have the necessary human
resources and time available to it to properly carry out its tasks.
12.The NPM has a strategy for prioritizing legislation to be commented; for the treatment of an insufficient or missing legislation and
for the follow-up to any recommendation.
B.Visit methodology
13.On an ongoing basis, the NPM should develop guidelines for visits to the various categories of places of detention, including
guidelines for conducting private interviews, policies for dealing with vulnerable groups of inmates, and ensuring that information from
all available sources is collected, i.e. the administration of the visited institution, from staff, and inmates from all areas and pavilions,
and from other visitors if appropriate.
14.All facilities within institutions should be visited and existing registers, examples of case records and activities and services for the
inmates assessed.
15.Practices to cross check and assess observations should be developed and data reflecting serious and generic problems be
systematized.
16.There should be a policy providing for an immediate debriefing with the authorities at the end of the visit.
17.The NPM could consider developing a code of conduct for a visiting team, including how to address inmates and staff; how and
when to conduct individual or group interviews, handling security issues, ensuring confidentiality, managing internal debriefings, etc.
18.The NPM should have clear guidelines for reporting individual cases of deliberate ill-treatment, requesting inquiries and maintaining
the confidentiality of the victim, as well as having clear guidelines for protecting such persons against reprisals.
C.Visit reports
19.Visit reports should focus on the most important issues, i.e. reporting ill-treatment, gaps in policies, regulations, and practices, as
well as the appropriateness of conditions under which inmates are living, reflecting systematic lack of protection of the rights of
inmates. Good practices should be noted and filed for systematic analysis. Cases of deliberate ill-treatment should be analysed to
identify gaps in the protection of persons deprived of their liberty.
20.Recommendations should be well founded and should have a preventive focus, addressing systematic gaps and practices (root
causes); and be feasible in practice.
21.The NPM should, based on experience, develop a strategy for the use of the report which should include submission to relevant
official bodies and tiers of government for publication, dissemination and dialogue.
D.Follow-up on SPT’s and own recommendations for changes
22.The NPM should maintain a dialogue with both governmental authorities and institution directors/managers regarding the
implementation of recommendations. The dialogue will involve both written and oral exchanges. Visit reports, including
recommendations, should be published, if the NPM considers it appropriate to do so. Annual reports should be also be published
and should, in addition to recommendations for change, include the outcome of the dialogue with authorities. The NPM may also
publish thematic reports.
23.The NPM should maintain a dialogue with other relevant national and international actors, including civil society and consider all
relevant information received from them.
24.The NPM should regularly verify the implementation of recommendations through follow-up visits to problematic institutions.
E.Prevention of reprisals against persons interviewed during visits and others providing the NPM