MONITORING PLACES OF DETENTION : A PRACTICAL GUIDE FOR NGOS 68 2. THE STEPS TO TAKE 2.1. Completing the information collected in the place of detention In many cases, the information obtained during the visits can be completed and checked outside the place of detention by consulting: ■ the higher authorities; ■ State services other than those responsible for the place of detention (e.g., Ministry of Health); ■ other actors; ■ the families of the persons deprived of their liberty. 2.2. Informing the authorities The NGO should regularly inform the detaining authorities of the results of its assessment of the places of detention visited. It is strongly recommended that written reports be handed over. The oral transmission of information should be restricted to the periodic contacts which the NGO will strive to establish and to maintain with the relevant authorities. Not every place visited need necessarily be the subject of a written or oral report to the authorities immediately after the visit. It is the gravity of the problems noted which will determine whether or not written or oral representations are appropriate after just one visit. More often than not, the reports will be drawn up following one or more series of visits over a given period.