–7– 123. Juveniles should benefit from a visiting entitlement of more than one hour every week, and they should also be able to receive visits at weekends. Short-term visits should be allowed, as a rule, under open conditions. The CPT has observed in some countries that juveniles are authorised to benefit from longterm unsupervised visits. Except for cases when it is not in the juveniles’ best interests, such an approach is particularly welcome in order to foster the family life of the juvenile and his/her close relatives and the juvenile’s reintegration into society. 124. All juveniles, including those on remand, should have frequent access to a telephone and the opportunity to exercise their right to correspondence at all times. If there are security concerns, particular telephone calls and correspondence could be monitored, and exceptionally prohibited. Any such decision should be based on a substantiated risk of collusion or other illegal activity, and be for a specified period. In some establishments visited by the CPT, juveniles are allowed to communicate with family members on a regular basis by using free-of-charge Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services. Such practices are highly welcome; however, they should not be considered as a substitute for visits. 125. Information on transfers, release, disciplinary sanctions and protective and security measures applied to a juvenile, as well as concerning any illness, injury or death, should be provided without delay to the parents or legal representative of the juvenile concerned. g. discipline and security 126. Restorative conflict resolution should be given priority over formal disciplinary procedures and sanctions. Disciplinary sanctions, if applied, should be governed by the principle of proportionality and imposed in full compliance with the relevant formal disciplinary rules and procedures, and not take the form of an unofficial punishment. Any form of collective punishment is unacceptable. In a number of establishments visited by the CPT, it was not uncommon for staff to administer a so-called “pedagogic slap” or other forms of physical chastisement to juveniles who misbehaved. In this regard, the CPT recalls that corporal punishment is likely to amount to illtreatment and must be strictly prohibited. 127. The CPT wishes to stress that a juvenile’s contact with the outside world should never be denied as a disciplinary measure; nor should it be limited unless the disciplinary offence relates to such contact. 128. Any form of isolation of juveniles is a measure that can compromise their physical and/or mental well-being and should therefore be applied only as a means of last resort.