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job, in terms of their character, administrative ability, suitable training, and experience in
the field. 241 The IACHR stresses that the appointment of directors of penitentiaries and of
management‐level staff in prison systems must be conducted using transparent and
equitable processes, in which the candidates’ suitability is evaluated on the basis of
objective selection criteria. Furthermore, once these authorities have been appointed, they
need to enjoy the functional independence required for the performance of their duties,
subject only to pertinent legal and regulatory requirements.
206.
Training the staff responsible for running detention centers of all kinds
must definitely be construed as an investment, not as a cost, and it should therefore be
planned and crafted to match the needs of the institution concerned. Training is not just
transformation or knowledge; it is also about developing skills and an aptitude for
change. 242 Moreover, the State must take all necessary steps to ensure that all the
detention centers in its territory –and not just those located in urban centers– are
endowed with professional and well‐trained staff.
207.
In addition to ensuring the proper training of the correctional staff, the
public administration should also endorse the belief, in the minds of its members and in
the community as a whole, that the work at the correctional institutions is an important
service to the community. 243 Generally speaking, penitentiaries are hostile, difficult, poorly
funded environments, in which the work of prison officers can be, not just routine, but also
highly stressful and exhausting. Such is why everything possible must be done to keep
penitentiary staff motivated and conscious of the importance of the work they do.
Working conditions
208.
Regarding working conditions, the Principles and Best Practices establish
the following:
Principle XX.
The personnel shall comprise suitable employees and officers, of both
sexes, preferably with civil service and civilian status […].
The personnel of places of deprivation of liberty shall be provided with
the necessary resources and equipment so as to allow them to perform
their duties in suitable conditions, including fair and equitable
remuneration, decent living conditions, and appropriate basic services. 244
241
See, the Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (Rules 50‐51).
242
United Nations Latin American Institute for the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders
(ILANUD), Crime, Criminal Justice and Prison in Latin America and the Caribbean, 2009, p. 275.
243
See, the Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (Rule 46.2).
244
In the same vein, the Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (Rule 46.3).
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