E/CN.4/2001/66/Add.2 page 14 and another, in the guards’ office in Block Four, behind the curtains. Various explanations were given by the authorities: they were broken pieces of furniture, bars used to check the cell bars or bars broken off by the prisoners themselves with a view to using them as weapons during revolts. 36. The Special Rapporteur was later informed of the intention of the Secretary of State in charge of the penitentiary system to divide the Casa de Detenção into four units headed by four different directors, who were said to have already been identified, with a view to exercising better control over the inmate population. Furthermore, it is believed that Block Four will soon become a prison hospital. 37. On 26 August, the Special Rapporteur visited one of the three women’s penitentiaries of the State of São Paulo, Prisão Feminina de Tatuapé, where 446 women were said to be held. The official capacity of the prison was said to be 600, although the Director of Security, who was in charge of the prison at the time of the Special Rapporteur’s visit, said that the real limit should be 450. She drew the attention of the Special Rapporteur to the problem of the scarcity of personnel and its security implications. She complained that she had only 20 guards per shift at her disposal because a large number of guards were on sick leave, mostly owing to the harsh working conditions. Most of the guards were said to be women, but some were men, including astonishingly, the son of the General Director. On the day of the visit, there were 15 female and 4 male guards. Only one vehicle was at their disposal to transfer prisoners to court, other prisons or to hospital. Women were said not to be separated according to their age or crime and to work from 7.00 a.m. to 12.00 a.m. and 1.00 p.m. to 5.00 p.m. for a salary of 115 reais per month. According to the detainees, they were in fact receiving only 60 reais. They were held five per cell measuring 8-10 square metres. Each cell contained mattresses and a toilet, the showers being separate from the cells. The cells were clean and detainees had made some basic improvements, such as placing curtains in front of the beds for privacy. The Special Rapporteur visited the infirmary where a detainee who had very recently given birth was held. She believed that her baby was going to be taken from her and that she would not see her child again. 38. The Special Rapporteur visited the punishment cells (castigo) of Block Two which were similar to other cells except that there was no toilet. Detainees indicated that they were let out of their cells at the whim of the guards. Some detainees claimed to be “in transit”, i.e. transferred, about once a month to a different penitentiary and that their relatives were not informed. In the dirty punishment cells of Block Five, the Special Rapporteur met three women who were sharing two mattresses. A 20-year-old woman had allegedly been beaten by the Director’s son, who was said to be a guard and had access to all sections of the prison at any time. Her right shoulder and hand bore marks of beatings (haematomas) consistent with her allegations. She also believed that she was “in transit” since she had been moved from one prison to another every month, which prevented her family visiting her. In another cell, a young detainee refused to speak to the Special Rapporteur for fear of reprisal. She nevertheless indicated to a member of the Special Rapporteur’s team that she had been sexually abused by a male prison official whom she identified, but was too fearful to authorize the Special Rapporteur to name.