MONITORING PLACES OF DETENTION : A PRACTICAL GUIDE 79 4.3 Visiting the premises of detention facilities During the first visit to a place of detention, it is particularly important to see all areas of the premises used by and for the detainees. A short general tour of the entire facility should be done with all the members of the team and with the person in charge of the place of detention, or an official able to give useful information about the layout of the premises and functioning of the services. After the general tour, or in subsequent visits, the team could divide into smaller groups, each with its own area of responsibility. Visiting the premises makes it possible to: ■ visualise the premises and their layout. The importance of this point must not be overlooked. The architecture of the place of detention and the physical security arrangements (fences, confining walls, etc.) have a very direct influence on the daily life of the detainees; ■ locate the detainees’ living quarters (cells, dormitories, courtyards, refectories, study and leisure areas, sports rooms and fields, workshops, visiting rooms, etc.) as well as the various services and installations provided for them (kitchen, sick bay, sanitary installations, laundry, etc); ■ obtain a first impression of the atmosphere and mood in the place. While all the premises should be seen, some should have absolute priority, as they most particularly serve as a measure of the level of respect accorded to the detainees. These are: ■ the place where detainees are received and ’processed’ on arrival; ■ isolation cells and disciplinary cells;