-47 prison administration to provide them with data on the prison and several reports from the different types of professionals working there in order to have a better understanding of the dynamics of the prison. This allows on one hand the institution to better prepare the visit, but on the other hand precludes carrying out unannounced visits. The data from the prison administration, combined with information from reports from the CPT or other human rights bodies as well as from NGOs, and the information received from prisoners or their families, can also help to identify the existence of “grey areas” where informal solitary confinement is carried out. Some NPMs extract from the file with this information a summary that they bring with them during the visit. In addition to the summary, it is common for NPMs (e.g. the Italian NPM) to use a checklist divided into paragraphs corresponding to the items to be monitored (conditions of the cells, showers, procedural safeguards, medical supervision, meaningful contacts, critical events, etc.), with the indication of the main legal standards next to each item. Finally, the Danish NPM pointed out that a very good practice is to set up a diverse team to visit places of deprivation of liberty bringing along legal, medical, human rights experts and other professionals that can help to view an issue from different angles. 4.3. The visit138 4.3.1. The immediate visit to isolation sections Several NPMs explained that they usually start the monitoring visit from the sections where isolation takes place. In some cases, the delegation breaks up into two teams: the first one goes immediately to these sections, while the other team carries out the interview with the director. Other NPMs, in order to get a picture of all isolated people, even those who are not formally isolated, ask the director for a list of persons who are held on their own for 22 hours a day or more. 138. Among the good practices of the NPMs, the guide prepared by the United Kingdom's NPM (for the various NPM delegations of the country) for the monitoring of solitary confinement should certainly be included. The guide covers various types of isolation, but specific attention is given to prison isolation. UK National Preventive Mechanism, Guidance: isolation in detention, 2017, available at: http://www. nationalpreventivemechanism.org.uk/app/uploads/2017/02/NPM-Isolation-Guidance-FINAL.pdf Monitoring Solitary Confinement in Prison