MONITORING PLACES OF DETENTION : A PRACTICAL GUIDE ■ the sanitary installations; ■ the cells and dormitories. 80 The visiting team can also ask the detainees what they consider to be the worst place, and visit it. The visiting team should be aware that some cells or areas may be hidden from them. The team should cross-check their information during private talks. It is helpful to consult former detainees or previous visitors. The facilities provided for staff should also be visited unless this is excluded from the objective of the visit. 4.4 Interviews with persons deprived of their liberty 4.4.1 General considerations Talking with persons deprived of their liberty forms the basis of the process of documenting the conditions of detention. It is a very sensitive and delicate task. At the start of each talk, whether as a group or in private, the members of the visiting team should try to gain the confidence of the detainees and introduce themselves and their visiting mechanism. They should explain clearly why they are there, what they can and cannot do and the confidential nature of the discussions. A chart or a questionnaire for the talks in groups and for those with individuals is a very useful tool for assuring that all important elements are taken into consideration (see check-list in Annex 1). However, the visitors should also let enough space in the interview enabling the detainees to feel at ease and express their spontaneous thoughts. If used in a too static manner, a questionnaire risks to contribute to reproducing certain pattern of an interrogation. This should of course be avoided by any means. It is important for visitors to express themselves in a clear, simple and understandable way. Comments or questions should not be for-