MONITORING PLACES OF DETENTION : A PRACTICAL GUIDE FOR NGOS 20 3. THE IMPORTANCE OF MONITORING CONDITIONS OF DETENTION Monitoring of detention conditions is absolutely necessary for various reasons: ■ Depriving a person of his or her liberty is a serious act; ■ Through the loss of liberty, the detained person comes to depend almost entirely on the authorities and public officials to guarantee his or her protection, rights, and means of existence; ■ The possibilities for persons deprived of their liberty to influence their own fate are limited, if not non-existent; ■ Places of detention are by definition closed; those detained find themselves outside the bounds of society and out of its sight. At all times and in all places, persons deprived of their liberty are vulnerable and at risk of being mistreated and even tortured. This means that they must be afforded enhanced protection by monitoring their conditions of detention. It should be noted that the fact that monitoring mechanisms have been integrated into the permanent protection system for persons deprived of their liberty does not necessarily imply that there are serious problems in the places of detention or a widespread lack of confidence in the officials in charge. It is more a matter of subjecting the huge power gap in detainerdetainee relations to outside scrutiny by a body empowered to intervene in cases of abuse of this power. These control mechanisms help limit the risk of ill-treatment and regulate any excessive measures taken against those deprived of their liberty.