CAT/OP/BEN/3 B. Institutional framework 1. Need for a specialized prison service and training 103. The Subcommittee observed a chronic shortage of staff and a lack of training at the prisons. It also noted that there was no specialized prison service; instead, prison officers were gendarmes seconded to carry out custodial functions. The Subcommittee has not received information on the training of these officers on specific subjects and standards relating to the management and supervision of persons deprived of their liberty. The Subcommittee is of the view that having a sufficient number of prison officers is likely to result in better management of prisoners in correctional facilities. The Subcommittee therefore finds it regrettable that there is no prison service with special training in the supervision and management of prisoners. The Subcommittee acknowledges the draft bill on the special status of prison service personnel, a copy of which it received from the national authorities of the State party, and notes that it contains provisions on the recruitment, training and performance of the duties relating to the administration of a prison that are broadly in line with the requirements established by the Nelson Mandela Rules. 17 However, the Subcommittee was not informed of the planned date for the finalization of the draft and its adoption by the parliament. 104. The Subcommittee recommends that the State party: (a) increase significantly the number of staff members responsible for the custody of detainees in all the prisons it visited; (b) finalize and adopt the draft bill on the establishment of a specialized prison service; and (c) ensure that education and information regarding the prohibition of torture and ill-treatment are an integral part of the training of prison personnel. The Subcommittee invites the authorities to encourage the recruitment of female prison personnel. 2. Resources 105. The Subcommittee is concerned about the chronic lack of resources it observed in the prisons it visited. As noted above, the Subcommittee found that the infirmaries lacked medicine and medical equipment. Similarly, the Subcommittee was informed that prisons lacked vehicles for temporary transfers to hospitals. It was also informed that the prison oversight authorities did not have the resources to conduct regular inspections in places of deprivation of liberty. In addition, the prison food budget did not allow for the provision of food of sufficient quantity and quality. The Subcommittee noted that the resources to give each prisoner the necessary personal hygiene products were lacking. Its discussions with the prison authorities made it clear to the Subcommittee that the lack of resources had a negative impact on the conditions of detention. 106. The Subcommittee recommends that the State party increase budgetary allocations to the prisons it visited to ensure that they have sufficient resources for food, medicines, medical equipment and hygiene products, for the maintenance of decent conditions and for other purposes. The Subcommittee invites the State party to provide all prisons with vehicles for temporary transfers for medical treatment. VIII. Repercussions of the visit and conclusion A. Repercussions of the visit 107. In some of the places visited, some detainees reported that they feared reprisals. The Subcommittee noted on several occasions that detainees were afraid to speak freely with the delegation, in particular at the Agblangandan gendarmerie station, where persons in custody refused to speak to the members of the Subcommittee delegation. At the Cotonou prison, some prisoners expressed the same concern. The Subcommittee notes the assurances provided by the authorities of the State party during the closing meeting and by the 17 GE.18-16165 Nelson Mandela Rules, rules 74 to 76. 17