MONITORING PLACES OF DETENTION : A PRACTICAL GUIDE FOR NGOS 23 3.3. Monitoring detention conditions at the international level That international organs can conduct visit to places of detention is a relatively recent development. The International Committee of the Red Cross was the first to receive such a mandate, in the context of armed conflicts, to visit prisoners of war. The international mechanisms established within the framework of the United Nations function essentially in a reactive manner, to verify allegations of torture or ill-treatment on the spot. Access is then subject to authorisation by the State. For the moment, only the European Committee for the TABLE 2 : VISITING MECHANISMS AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL INTERNAL MONITORING EXTERNAL MONITORING Legal basis in the constitution or in the law Without legal basis, with specific authorisation Permanent inspection and surveillance organs, internal to the administration, which carry out administrative control Independent and specialised monitoring mechanisms: • Ombudsperson for prisons • National visiting bodies • Citizen-visitor organisations • National NGOs6 National NGOs Magistrates who, as part of their functions, have the mandate and authority to carry out judicial control of detention and the conditions of detention Independent and nonspecialised control mechanisms: • Ombudsperson • Parliamentary committees International NGOs 5 The text was adopted by vote by the United Nations Human Rights Commission on 22 April 2002 (resolution E/CN.4/Res/2002/33), by the Economic and Social Council on 24 July 2002 and by the General Assembly in December 2002. 6 Certain States have included in their legislation the right for civil society to examine places where persons are deprived of their liberty.