? Questions for detention monitors: Institutional and staff issues The examination of institutional and staff issues in the VERLT context constitutes an 460 important aspect of the work of detention monitors. This should include gathering background information on staff issues and conducting interviews with prison staff (in private and focus groups), prison management, trade union representatives or training academies, as relevant. Detention monitors should also assess the level of (dis)satisfaction of prison staff with recruitment policies, training offered and their working conditions, in order to ensure a more comprehensive overview. Recruitment: • Does the recruitment of prison staff working with (suspected) violent extremist prisoners ensure diversity and gender balance? What are the procedures for selection? Do these include a set of clear criteria? Do prison administrations attract staff with adequate skill sets for these duties? The nature and frequency of training received by prison staff before their assignment and throughout their service: • Does this include training on dynamic security? • Does it include training on how to confront and address manifestations of intolerance, including racial discrimination, extreme right and ethno-nationalist views, and how to promote intercultural, interfaith understanding, tolerance and non-discrimination? • Does the training include components on the conditions conducive to VERLT in prisons and the human rights risks arising in preventing and countering VERLT in prisons? • Does it include training on the dynamics and drivers of VERLT, the difficulties inherent in and the potential human rights impact of VERLT-related indicators and risk assessment tools (especially for those who regularly apply such tools)? • Does the training include other human rights-, gender- and/or children-focused components? Is general human rights training available for prison staff, including on equality and non-discrimination and the impact of implicit biases and stereotypes? How do the prison staff rate the training? • Is there specific training and ongoing support for upgrading the knowledge and skills of staff working within these specific units or facilities? Salary, status and working conditions: • What is the salary and benefits package for staff supervising (suspected) violent extremist prisoners? If there is differentiation, how does the package compare with that of other prison staff working mostly with the rest of the prison population? How is the challenging nature of their work recognized? 460 PRI and APT, Detention Monitoring Tool – Factsheet on “Staff working conditions: Addressing Risk Factors to Prevent Torture and Ill-treatment”, 2015, p. 9. 96