The observations and findings of the commissions are recorded in a
standardised visit report which is divided into five chapters: basic
information about the visited institution, findings regarding the visit,
findings regarding the monitoring priority, other comments and
concluding meetings.
Commissions prepare
reports
Questions regarding the application of security measures or measures
restricting a person’s liberty, signs of torture or degrading treatment
and health care are particularly relevant to the NPM’s monitoring
activities. Supervision and enforcement plans, procedures for forced
returns and releasing those detained, staff situation and complaint
management are also subject of control. Furthermore the
commissions examine location, building structure and infrastructural
fixtures and fittings of the institutions, living and residence conditions
of the individuals detained, if they are able to establish contact with
the outside, if their right to family and privacy is preserved, available
training and employment, as well as access to internal information.
The visiting delegations record the concluding meeting with the heads
of the visited institution or facility or the leader of the police operation
in a separate document. This includes any initial impressions and
observations gained on site, as well as an agreement, if possible, on
how to eliminate shortcomings. These visit reports are routinely made
available to the visited institutions and facilities.
The NPM involves the competent ministries and supervisory authorities
in case of systemic questions and/or shortcomings at specific
institutions and facilities; sometimes, the institutions and facilities
themselves are involved as well. Concurrently, the NPM also works in
ministerial working groups or working groups with individual Laender.
In this context, the NPM would like to stress that authorities and
institutions or facilities have mostly been very cooperative and did not
give the impression that they were reluctant to implement the
necessary measures and improvements.
1.6
Reports of the commissions
The commissions view it as their duty to perform their work for the
protection of human rights as efficiently as possible. They aspire to
select the right priorities while taking the annual priorities of the NPM
into consideration. In order to uncover human rights violations and to
prevent others from occurring, they rely on all available information. To
this end, an intensive exchange of information with institutions and
NGOs is particularly important. The AOB’s redesigned website and
more dynamic public relations work is intended to support this
16
Concluding meeting