II. OLDER PRISONERS Older prisoners comprise a very diverse group which usually will include prisoners of varied age, with different physical capabilities and while most will have health care needs, these will differ and may or may not include mobility issues, various disabilities and chronic conditions. As a group, older prisoners may include people serving long sentences, people who have been in and out of prison a number of times, and those serving first sentences. Their familiarity with the criminal justice system in general and prison in particular will vary. It is therefore paramount that monitors as well as prison authorities make no generalisations about older prisoners and duly recognise the heterogeneity of this vulnerable group. 1. International Standards     International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966), Art 26 United Nations Principles for Older People (1991) The Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing (2002) European Prison Rules, Rule 13, 18.8c, 46 and 81.3 in particular 2. Prison Policies  Is there a special prison policy and strategy developed to address the special needs of older prisoners? Has the development of this dedicated policy and strategy involved a multidisciplinary team of prison specialists as well as specialists and service providers from the community? How comprehensive is the dedicated strategy? Does it cover such issues as staff training, placement of older prisoners within the prison system, adaptation and improvement of services, coordination with civil society, early conditional release and resettlement as well as death in prison?   3. Staff training and special tasks  Have all staff working with older prisoners received initial and ongoing training on working with older prisoners? Are staff encouraged to work with civil society organisations as well as health and welfare services to fully address the needs of older prisoners as well as enable continuum of care after the release? Are staff actively assisting older prisoners’ access to suitable legal counsel, legal and paralegal aid services from the outset of their detention and throughout the imprisonment as may be necessary?   7