55 7. Follow-up visit The National Preventive Mechanism shall regularly verify the implementation of recommendations, primarily through follow-up visits to problematic institutions, but also based on relevant information from, among others, human rights bodies, governmental institutions, and civil society.105 The follow-up visit is part of the NPM’s activities aimed at preventing the ill-treatment of persons deprived of their liberty. The primary objective of the follow-up visit is to get information about the measures aimed at the implementation of my recommendations. The secondary objective is to encourage the personnel of the places of detention and the authorities to implement my recommendations.106 In the course of the follow-up visits, I strive to re-examine the most problematic fields. In the framework of the follow-up visits, I assess the implementation of measures taken in the interest of eliminating fundamental-rights-related improprieties uncovered during the previous visit and factors threatening the enforcement of fundamental rights. Follow-up visits provide an opportunity to discuss the findings of the previous visit and, in their light, the practical implementation of my measures with the personnel of the places of detention. Since neither the OPCAT nor the Ombudsman Act contains provisions on follow-up-type visits, the general rules apply. 7.1. Selecting the subject of the follow-up visit While performing the tasks of the NPM, I conducted four follow-up visits in 2018. The locations for the follow-up visits were selected on the basis of the impressions of previous visits, keeping in mind the following criteria. 105 106 See: SPT: Analytical self-assessment tool for National Prevention Mechanisms (Clause 33 of CAT/OP/1/Rev.1). See: BIRK Moriz, ZACH Gerrit, LONG Debra, MURRAY Rachel, SUNTINGER Walter: Enhancing impact of National Preventive Mechanisms, Strengthening the follow-up on NPM Recommendations in the EU: Strategic Development, Current Practices and the way forward Ludwig Boltzmann Institute & University of Bristol, May 2015, p. 10. Available at: http://www.bristol. ac.uk/media-library/sites/law/hric/2015-documents/NPM%20Study_final.pdf.