seemed however, that prisoners are not properly informed about their rights regarding these matters. While all the rules and regulations must conform to the constitution, each region adopts its own rules to maintain law and order in the prisons. Most of the rules and regulations are consistent with international human rights norms on the treatment of persons deprived of their liberty. It is interesting to note that prison authorities do not enforce the rules and regulations of the prison. Discipline is “self-administered”. The prisoners discipline themselves through the Prisoners’ Committee. In each prison, there is a Discipline Committee made up of prisoners themselves, with members elected by their peers. If a prisoner breaks any of the rules of the prison, the Prisoners’ Justice Committee would try him or her, and if found guilty, the Prisoners’ Discipline Committee metes out the punishment (such as cleaning the floor, the toilet etc). The authorities are not directly involved in discipline. Serious offences like homosexuality, assault occasioning bodily harm, theft etc are reported to the authorities who would contact the police to institute an investigation. The accused (the prisoner) is investigated by the police while in custody and can be taken to court and tried. If a prisoner is not happy with the decision of the Discipline Committee, he/she can then bring the matter to the attention of the authorities, the Chief Administrator. This is when the authorities intervene in the process – to render advice but not to mete out sanctions. It is however, also possible for a prisoner to by-pass the Committees and report a matter directly to the authorities. In most cases, the authorities would refer the matter to the competent Committee. 34 Report of the Mission of the Special Rapporteur on Prisons to Ethiopia 15 – 29 March 2004