MONITORING PLACES OF DETENTION : A PRACTICAL GUIDE FOR NGOS 5 FOREWORD The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) has over ten years experience working to promote democracy and human rights in the OSCE region. During this time the reform of prisons and places of detention has been one of the Office’s main focuses. Places of custody are particularly sensitive and critical from a human rights perspective because they are naturally environments where human rights are at particular risk. Therefore prison reform and the status of prisons are issues of concern in any democratic society for the professionals involved and for civil society as a whole. These considerations, which form the basis of the ODIHR’s work in this field, are also relevant for the APT’s Guide on Monitoring Places of Detention. International human rights standards regarding prisons and places of detention have been further developed and refined over the past years. In the OSCE context, numerous commitments have been agreed upon to prevent torture and ill-treatment of those in custody. Increasingly, the focus has been shifted on what needs to be done to close the gap in the domestic implementation of international law. Public monitoring boards, human rights advisory councils or systematic professional civil society monitoring can be useful tools of observation and data collection, and, thus, ultimately contribute to improved adherence to international standards. Moreover, it is worth noting that civil society monitoring, apart from playing an important role in safeguarding against human rights abuses, also acts as a fertiliser for democratisation, by demanding accountability and transparency by all state institutions, including places of custody. Therefore, civil society monitoring of prisons and places of detention should be an integral part of the democratic process. However, it