MONITORING PLACES OF DETENTION : A PRACTICAL GUIDE FOR NGOS 88 INFORMING THE DETAINEES Standards 2 “Any person shall, at the moment of arrest and at the commencement of detention or imprisonment, or promptly thereafter, be provided by the authority responsible for his arrest, detention or imprisonment, respectively with information on and an explanation of his rights and how to avail himself of such rights.” BPP; Principle 13 “(1) Every prisoner on admission shall be provided with written information about the regulations governing the treatment of prisoners of his category, the disciplinary requirements of the institution, the authorized methods of seeking information and making complaints, and all such other matters as are necessary to enable him to understand both his rights and his obligations and to adapt himself to the life of the institution. (2) If a prisoner is illiterate, the aforesaid information shall be conveyed to him orally.” SRM, Rule 35; EPR, Rule 41 Comments It is important that people deprived of their liberty be informed from the outset of all the rules which will govern their daily life, their rights, and their duties. It is therefore important that they receive, on admission, a brochure describing how the establishment functions in simple and readable form. This brochure must be available in the languages most spoken by the detainees. Similarly, the internal rules and regulations should also be accessible and comprehensible. The families, too, should receive information on the working of the establishment, in particular as regards visits, correspondence, the sending of packages, and telephone contacts.