1. PRISON MANAGEMENT 186 Another key safeguard in relation to prisoner transfer is the right of prisoners to inform family members and other contacts, including legal representatives, about their transfer to another facility or to hospital. This is particularly important to protect against enforced disappearance. Prisoners should be given the opportunity to inform such persons before the transfer actually takes place. The issue of notifications is dealt with in more detail in Chapter 5, paragraphs 129–133 of this guidance document. 187 1 1.7. STAFF RECRUITMENT AND TRAINING Those who work in prisons perform an important public service, and they often work in difficult, stressful and sometimes dangerous conditions. They are required to work with individuals who have multiple needs, including mental health conditions, suicidal or self‑harm tendencies and histories of abuse, deprivation and addiction. Therefore, it is likely that they will encounter violent and abusive prisoners, some of whom have posed major threats to public security in the past. In poorly managed facilities, staff might also be subjected to discrimination by colleagues or managers. The role and functions of prison staff are often misunderstood or subject to negative stereotyping. The media and public might perceive their role as simply to lock people up. In fact, prison staff also play a key role in the rehabilitation and reintegration of prisoners and their job is complex and multi-faceted, requiring a specific and diverse skill set, including good interpersonal skills and the ability to deal with many different and often challenging situations and individuals. The provisions of the SMR that relate to staff recruitment and training were updated to make it clear that staff require training before they assume their duties and require continuous in-service training. This training should reflect evidence-based best practice. The Rules also now specify the minimum requirements for training, including the concept of dynamic security and techniques for preventing and defusing violent situations and dealing with violent offenders. RELEVANT RULES: STAFF RECRUITMENT AND TRAINING Rule 74: Rule 75: 1. The prison administration shall provide for the 1. All prison staff shall possess an adequate standard careful selection of every grade of the personnel, since it is on their integrity, humanity, professional capacity and personal suitability for the work that the proper administration of prisons depends. of education and shall be given the ability and means to carry out their duties in a professional manner. 2. Before entering on duty, all prison staff shall be provided with training tailored to their general and specific duties, which shall be reflective of contemporary awaken and maintain in the minds both of the personnel evidence-based best practice in penal sciences. Only and of the public the conviction that this work is a those candidates who successfully pass the theoretical social service of great importance, and to this end and practical tests at the end of such training shall be all appropriate means of informing the public should allowed to enter the prison service. be used. 3. The prison administration shall ensure the continuous 3. To secure the foregoing ends, personnel shall be provision of in-service training courses with a view appointed on a full-time basis as professional prison to maintaining and improving the knowledge and staff and have civil service status with security of tenure professional capacity of its personnel, after entering subject only to good conduct, efficiency and physical on duty and during their career. fitness. Salaries shall be adequate to attract and retain suitable men and women; employment benefits and conditions of service shall be favourable in view of the exacting nature of the work. 2. The prison administration shall constantly seek to Guidance document on the Nelson Mandela Rules 41