ACHPR/37/OS/11/437 24 • Information about the status of implementation of the projects to ensure food self-sufficiency in prisons and the police stations/gendarmeries; • Information about possible external control to work with and/or enhance the already existing mechanisms to monitor cells in police stations and prisons; • Additional information on current and planned mechanisms to enable the verification of complaints about ill treatment at the hands of prison staff and police; • The most precise indication possible about the number of people detained by the police and the gendarmerie (annual population and average population on a given day). Measures recommended by the Special Rapporteur Apart from the measures already suggested in the body of the report, the Special Rapporteur would like to add or insist on a certain number of recommendations: General Recommendations • Torture and assault of prisoners should end; • An end should be brought to chaining of prisoners; • Access to legal aid should be improved, particularly by reinforcing jurisdictional assistance and by developing mechanisms of Para-legal aid with the help of the competent NGOs according to the model of what is being done in such countries as Malawi; • The Government should consider the possibility of introducing an independent national monitoring mechanism, outside the prison administration, which could be making regular visits to the prisons, police stations, and gendarmerie and make reports to the President of the Republic; • External controls of detention in prisons, police stations and/or gendarmeries should be strengthened to contribute towards the improvement of conditions in these places of detention; • Government’s efforts are needed to increase the budget allocated to all the institutions which deal with persons in custody with a view to improving not only the conditions of detention but also the maintenance of buildings where live the prisoners; • The Government should increase the budget of the prison administration and improve the working conditions of the prison staff in terms of their accommodation, increased allowances and further training; • The rehabilitation of prisons should be developed and construction of new prisons completed so as to facilitate the transfer of prisoners in more humane buildings;