MONITORING PLACES OF DETENTION : A PRACTICAL GUIDE FOR NGOS 56 ■ respect the internal regulations of the place visited or request any special dispensation from those in charge; ■ refuse to carry out any act or take any steps requested by a person deprived of his or her liberty which is against the law or internal regulations or obtain a special dispensation from the person in charge; ■ display their identity visibly by wearing a badge or other means of identification. 1.2. Respect for staff in charge of the deprivation of liberty Unless a minimum basis of mutual respect is established between the staff and the visiting team, the NGO’s work in places of detention will soon be jeopardised. The staff working in places of detention rarely do so by vocation. They are carrying out a series of often thankless tasks of a contradictory nature: Their work is socially undervalued and, depending on the country, poorly paid. While it is clear that, among the staff, one can find individuals who behave in an unacceptable way toward those deprived of their freedom and who must be punished, many problems stem not from particular individuals but from an inadequate system for the deprivation of liberty (legislation and regulations, organisation, resources, training of staff, etc.) which fosters inappropriate behaviour. The members of NGOs should therefore at all costs avoid the naive approach of seeing things in terms of “the good guys” –generaly those detained– and “the bad guys”– those keeping watch over them. The NGO should also strive to identify the different hierarchic levels and their respective responsibilities so as to be able to address