Reports of the Commissions Familiarization phase The first half of the year was defined by the familiarization phase. The six Familiarization phase Commissions consist of both experienced members and new members who are serving on such a commission for the first time. Therefore, it was necessary to work on team building and to develop work methodologies. The shadow monitoring training, which was conducted jointly with the Council of Europe, brought sweeping and important insights for the Commissions’ work. Therefore, the Commissions welcomed the fact that the AOB intends to conduct other thematic workshops. The teamwork between the Commissions and the AOB is a decisive factor for their success as the NPM. In the joint meetings of the AOB members and the Commission Chairpersons, a very good and cooperative modus operandi was developed within an extremely short time. It was important for the Commissions that they have the necessary flexibility during their visits in order to be able to react to the situations they were confronted with on-site. Besides, they did not want to lose valuable time with excessive requirements regarding the gathering of information about the institutions and facilities. A reporting tool was jointly developed that can be applied equally to various types of institutions; it simplifies the AOB’s process of evaluating the reports by the Commissions. The further work on the creation of a database that will be available to all the Commissions should be completed quickly. In this database, the Commission members will not only be able to access all visit reports, but also the international and national documents that are necessary for preparation and the human rights assessment. Many of the first visits were organised as inaugural and introductory Inaugural visits visits and combined with a “pilot monitoring visit” that enabled the Commission members to get to know new areas, such as institutions and facilities for persons with disabilities, youth welfare facilities, psychiatric institutions and correctional facilities. Based on the experience of the prior Human Rights Advisory Council in the Federal Ministry of the Interior, the Commissions know that it is necessary to build a relationship of trust with the management of the facilities. This is the only way to enable the solution of observed shortcomings immediately on site. The Commissions found a fundamental willingness to cooperate among their counterparts. The most frequent reaction during the visits can be described as “sceptical curiosity”. Occasionally, 47