followed immediately by how they have been dealt with. Other issues are then addressed. Problems Identified The guard-prisoner relationship was poor. There was credible evidence of serious assault on some inmates by the guards. The confession of the Chief of Guards on his method of disciplining inmates who tried to escape increased the credibility of the inmates' allegations of assault by the guards. Chaining with leg iron was used to discipline errant inmates. Ventilation in the cells was terrible. Some inmates were kept constantly in their cells. These were brought out only for a shower or to go to the toilet. Food was served once a day, and some inmates described the situation as bordering on starvation. Indeed, the inmates claimed that one of their number, a Liberian named Anson David died out of hunger. Lack of medication was a matter of serious concern for the inmates. Remand prisoners far outnumbered convicts. To illustrate, in one cell of 24 only 2 had been tried and convicted. In a second cell there were three convicts out of seventeen inmates. Many had neither blankets nor clothes. As acknowledged by the authorities, the prison was in a serious state of disrepair. In its comments on the report on the first visit, the Government of Mali stated that the Director of Mopti Prison had been changed and that the guards had been trained to treat prisoners humanely. Implementation of Recommendations and Dealing With Problems. Small windows had been provided for the cells which previously had none. A shed was under construction in the yard under which prisoners could rest. Construction work had commenced on a wall which would fortify the prison guards in releasing into the yard the inmates who were constantly under lock and key for fear of their escape. New mats had been supplied to the inmates. Other inmates stated that the mats were changed regularly, and the present ones were supplied 8 days prior to my arrival. I did not see any inmate with bruises or marks which could have been the result of assault by guards. Neither did I see any inmate in leg iron or chained. One inmate gladly recalled my visit. The guards had been changed, and the Director (Registrar) assumed duty at the prison barely a month before my arrival. He had forbidden chaining or being put into leg iron. Meals were served twice a day, though the quantity was small. 20 Persistent Complaints Despite the above, in discussions with some of the inmates alone, the point was made that nothing had changed: soap was scarce, the food was insufficient and of very poor quality, inmates were still beaten, handcuffed, and put into leg iron. One of them said, when he tried to escape, he was put into leg iron for 48 hours about a month ago. Scars around his ankle supported his claim. It was also said that visitors who did not pay CFA 500 were not allowed to see inmates. The mats were changed a week before my visit. They were not allowed to go out for toilet, a pot at the entrance was used for that purpose. The door of one particular cell was usually closed and it was opened two days prior to my arrival. The inmates of a second cell had a similar complaint about the closure and opening of their door. The latter cell had no light in the night. They lacked blanket. A doctor visited the prison each Thursday, but between the visits no medical care was provided. Additional complaints were that mosquitoes were a menace, and the cells were lice infested. The shower in the former women's section could do with improvement in the odour which emitted from there. Discussion with the Registrar The Registrar, one of those trained in Dakar, explained that the doors of the cells were closed most of the time because they contained hardened criminals. He added that since his assumption of duty, the doors had been kept open between the hours of 2 and 4 in the afternoon each day. It is noted that there was one cell without any door. He informed us that juveniles who committed crimes were generally placed under supervision by a member of their family. Prison Population A breakdown of the prison population was set out on a blackboard within a corridor immediately after the main gates of the prison. There were a total of 93 inmates, made up of 73 remand prisons and 20 convicts, 3 of the latter being women. There were no juveniles. The capacity of the prison was given as 80. The three women were those encountered on the first visit. As will be recalled, they stayed with the Commandant de Cercle because the prison no longer had a functional female wing. They were given the option of a transfer to Bolle, but they turned it down. One of them is scheduled to be released in March 1999, a second in 2001 and the last in March 2006. Eye brows must 21