1. PRISON MANAGEMENT Admissions staff should clearly explain to prisoners, in a language they understand, why they need to record the information. If prisoners refuse to provide certain information, this fact should be recorded in the file. Some information may already be available to authorities from paperwork related to the case against the prisoner. 26 The prisoner’s personal information should be regularly reviewed and updated during the course of imprisonment, including, for example, the location of a prisoner’s children and their emergency contact details. This may be particularly important as families, and particularly children, are often required to move homes following the arrest of a close family member. Similarly, the information recorded in the course of imprisonment, as detailed in Rule 8, must be regularly updated to reflect relevant changes and developments. 27 Recorded information concerning the behaviour and discipline of a prisoner should include the details of security measures undertaken. This should include records of searches, in particular strip and body-cavity searches. Every instance where the use of force, or arms, or when instruments of restraint have been used on a prisoner, should be recorded and the record be made available to the prisoner.15 28 Record keeping should not be misinterpreted as intrusive information gathering and should be guided by what is relevant and necessary to record for the purposes of prison management. The level of detail included will largely depend on how comprehensive assessment and classification reports are, as discussed later in this chapter. 29 There must be safeguards in place to ensure that information is not omitted or entered erroneously. One such safeguard could include, for example, a system of randomized checks on files to ensure data is accurately recorded. 30 Rule 67(1) relates to the inventory of personal property and states that a separate file should be kept by prison management, which is also referred to in Rule 7(e). This file contains information about prisoners’ property kept by the prison authorities, including any money or effects that are received for a prisoner on her or his admission. This is important to ensure restitution upon release, which may be months or years in the future. Rule 67 requires prison administrations to keep all personal items in good condition and to return the items to the prisoner on release. 1 25 14 CONTEXT: RECORDING OTHER USEFUL INFORMATION [1.2] In addition to the information required by Rules 7 and 8 of the Mandela Rules, it will be useful for prison authorities to record other relevant information in the prisoner file, including for example: – Visits by legal representatives – Visits by embassy and consular representatives – Level of education and literacy level – Languages spoken by the prisoner – Dietary requirements – Prisoners’ participation in work, educational and vocational training programmes – Notable good behaviour How should the information be recorded? 31 Prisoner file management systems may be electronic or manual. The filing system and procedures around it should be comprehensive but not overly bureaucratic. 15. See for example: European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and other Inhumane or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) in the context of psychiatric establishments for adults, CPT Standards, 21 March 2017, CPT/Inf(2017)6, para. 11 and CPT/Inf/E (2002) 1 Rev. 2011, para. 53. Guidance document on the Nelson Mandela Rules