an increased risk of inter-prisoner violence and may also affect the possibilities for the staff to respond to medical or other emergencies. Furthermore, if the staff cannot enter all parts of the prison due to fear about their personal safety, this contributes to a general atmosphere of insecurity in the whole facility, adversely affecting the management of dayto-day life and increasing the risk of disproportionate use of force in response to incidents. The SPT recommends that the authorities ensure adequate levels of staffing at all times, including female staff in facilities holding women. 7. Inter-prisoner violence 190.The delegation heard from many prisoners that they feared violence from other prisoners and that there were reportedly tensions between certain groups of prisoners, often concerning drugs in the prison. Furthermore, one prisoner interviewed in Maafushi prison alleged that he was occasionally beaten up by other prisoners and that the prison staff did not take any measures to stop that practice and to protect him. As there was no response to these incidents from staff, he had written a complaint to the HRCM. However, while he was on home leave, other prisoners found this letter and after his return he was heavily beaten by them. After this incident, he was moved to another unit. He had complained to the staff that he left some of his personal belongings in his previous cell, and was informed later by the staff that everything had been stolen by other prisoners. 191.When the state deprives a person of liberty, it becomes responsible for that person’s safety. The obligation includes protecting that person from other people in custody. Although managing inter-prisoner violence can be extremely difficult, lack of such protection is a failure in the duty of care incumbent on the State. Staff must be properly trained and prepared to work in close contact with prisoners, to be vigilant for the signs of conflict before escalation and to take appropriate action when needed. The SPT recommends that the training of prison staff focus on building and maintaining positive relations among prisoners, as well as between staff and prisoners: the dynamic security approach to prison work. 8. Disciplinary process 192.The delegation understood that, at the time of the visit, the disciplinary process was not laid down in a specific law, but was based on established rules and practices. In discussions with the Director of the DPRS, the delegation was informed that, for example, cancellation of family visits or home leave were used as a disciplinary sanction. The Governor of the Maafushi prison informed the delegation that segregation up to seven days could also be used as a punishment. The SPT understands that the Government is currently considering a draft Prison, Detention and Young Offender Centre Rules, which will, include provisions on disciplinary proceedings and sanctions. 193.The SPT was also shown the newly-established incidents book at Maafushi prison. According to the records, most of the incidents were benign, and the punishments imposed included, for example, cancellation of family visits for a month or of phone calls for a few weeks. The SPT wishes to commend the authorities for the establishment of this register as it is an important safeguard against ill-treatment. However, the delegation noted some insufficiencies in recordkeeping as the entries were superficial and lacked detail (for example punishments were not always recorded). The SPT recommends that all incidents and punishments and other disciplinary measures be systematically recorded in the incident book in a manner allowing proper oversight of use of those measures. 194.In interviews with the detainees, the delegation heard several coherent allegations of the use of beating and handcuffing as disciplinary measures, as well as humiliation by being stripped naked in front of other prisoners and prison officers and blindfolded. Furthermore, prisoners interviewed by the delegation alleged that collective punishments were also used. For example, some prisoners interviewed at Maafushi prison alleged that they once had their personal belongings destroyed as a collective punishment, and at Malé remand centre the prisoners alleged that, after an escape attempt by one prisoner, police officers entered the premises to search the cells and confiscated all the cigarettes they found. Also cancellation of family visits was used as a form of collective punishment; this was also confirmed by the prison authorities. 195.The SPT was left with the impression that disciplinary measures were used in an arbitrary way, almost at the will of the prison administration, and that the system was not oriented to punish specific individuals but that also collective punishment was also regularly used. 196.The SPT considers that discipline in prison is an important factor in the safety of both prisoners and staff. However, it is important that safeguards are introduced to avoid abuses of the disciplinary process and to prevent ill-treatment. The SPT encourages the Maldivian Government to adopt the draft Prison Rules and trusts that the Government will ensure that they conform to the international standards on treatment of prisoners binding upon Maldives. The SPT further recommends that the authorities ensure that no collective punishments are used. Prison managers should increase oversight of incidents and the disciplinary process to ensure that no punishments other than those provided for in law are imposed or other than by the formal disciplinary process. All occurrences giving rise to disciplinary proceedings and all disciplinary punishments should be carefully recorded in special registers, and subject to independent monitoring. 9. Segregation and isolation 197.At Maafushi prison, the delegation visited the segregation unit which, at the time of the visit was used to accommodate both prisoners considered as “dangerous”, often on the basis of commitment of aggravated prison offences, and prisoners segregated for their own protection. The unit was located right by the seashore far from other prison buildings and was surrounded by a tall wall. It consisted of three separate units, each composed of 10 cells. 198.The delegation was informed that prisoners considered as “dangerous” were transferred to Unit 1 on the basis of a