OPINIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE FRENCH CGLPL standardise their sometimes-disparate practices, according to the following principles. 3/ Tools to facilitate correspondence should be made available to detainees in two regards. Writing paper, writing materials and proper envelopes to hold correspondence should be regularly distributed free of charge, rather than only being available for purchase by the concerned parties. Moreover, people for whom writing presents a serious difficulty should be provided with a service to assist them, within their establishment, which respects their right to confidentiality. 4/ Metal mailboxes, closed in a secure manner, should be made available in different locations, accessible to inmates as they move within the establishment, or close to their cells for those who are permanently held there. There should be three mailboxes, clearly labelled for "internal mail," mail directed to medical personnel ("UCSA,12 SMPR")13 and finally, mail for "outside" recipients or nonprofessional third parties involved with the establishment (e.g. visitors, chaplains, students). The responsibility to place mail in the boxes can only be performed by prisoners when outside their cells, except in very special cases (e.g. disabilities, people refusing to leave their cells; in these cases, the prisoner should be able to choose the person who places the letters in the boxes). The amount of additional movement resulting from this requirement appears to be very limited. Mail should be picked up regularly from these mailboxes: mail for the UCSA and SMPR should only be picked up by the staff of these units, at least twice a day; mail in the internal and external mailboxes should be picked up by the "vaguemestre",14 who has exclusive authorisation to open them, at least once a day, and under their sole responsibility. 5/ At least two people per establishment should be authorised by the head of that establishment to be vaguemestre (without obliging these jobs to be full-time). To be eligible, they must be on the prison administration's staff and must prove, in particular, that they have been informed of the provisions relating to the right to correspondence and the restrictions that may be imposed. The vaguemestres are responsible for delivering internal mail directly Unité de consultations et de soins ambulatoires. Service médico-psychologique régional. 14 Prison mail officer. 12 13 26