INTRODUCTION Various monitoring mechanisms carry out independent oversight in places of deprivation of liberty generally and prison establishments in particular. The National Preventive Mechanisms (NPMs) established in accordance with the terms of the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention against Torture (OPCAT) are leading institutions to undertake this complex task in the national territories and jurisdictions of States parties to OPCAT. In order to assist the NPMs in particular in this monitoring task, the Human Rights Implementation Centre (Bristol, UK) and the Penal Reform International, South Caucasus Regional Office (Tbilisi, Georgia) with the financial support of the ESRC Impact Acceleration Account of the University of Bristol, have developed the present set of monitoring tools to be used by the NPMs and other monitoring bodies during prison oversight. Various monitoring tools have been produced by various organizations already. The present tools are different in that they do not provide a descriptive account of the challenges faced by the four groups of prisoners that each of the tool addresses: LGBTI prisoners, older prisoners, prisoners with disabilities and foreign national prisoners. Rather, each of the tools begins with a very brief introduction to the specific challenges faced by the group in question when in custody. A brief account of international standards is then provided, followed by sets of sample questions, grouped thematically to correspond to the areas to be monitored by the NPMs and others during their visits. These questions are intended to serve as a sample template for the monitors; they include questions to be posed to the prison authorities, staff, prisoners and others that the monitors may deem appropriate. These questions also include questions that the monitors may wish to ask themselves as they tour the prison establishments and make their observations. These questions presume a sound knowledge of the requisite background international human rights standards on the part of the monitor who will ask them. It is hoped that with such a hands-on, practical approach the present tools will give concrete assistance to monitors, helping them to include the needs of these four groups of prisoners in their monitoring visits and then, in their on-going dialogue with the authorities. 1

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