BASELINE FOR SUCCESSFUL REHABILITATION PROMISING PRACTICE: Human rights auditing and action planning The Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law (RWI) has – together with its correctional service partners internationally – developed a unique set of methodologies for increasing compliance with the Bangkok Rules and other relevant international standards, through internal human rights auditing and action planning. significant improvements in compliance with the Bangkok Rules, and methodologies are also now being further developed for use with offenders serving sentences in the community, where evidence suggests that rehabilitation programmes are most effective. In 2017, the Sierra Leone Correctional Service – with technical support from RWI and the United Nations Development A typical audit of a female prison will see a team of trained officers, with support from Programme – introduced pilot human rights RWI advisors, visit the institution for a week audits and human rights action planning for the country’s 19 correctional facilities to observe all aspects of prison conditions and routines, interview officers and other (male and female). This included in-depth stakeholders, and conduct extensive reviews training on and familiarisation with the of available documentation. A comprehensive Nelson Mandela and Bangkok Rules, and report is produced on compliance with the with the audit tools developed by RWI. Nelson Mandela and Bangkok Rules, and In the past two years, facility and deputy the team will then remain for a second week managers and officers made strides to to facilitate the development of detailed implement the human rights action plans. action plans, as well as sharing audit data This has resulted in improvements in file with the prison administration to enable management, record keeping, separation the development of national-level plans and of categories where possible, access to policy directives. clean water and sanitation, improvement in diet, and improved contact with the These approaches were first applied by RWI outside world (access to newspapers, radio in Indonesia and have since been adapted and television, phone calls, and visitation and intensified for use in Kenya and Sierra rights for children). Before the interventions, Leone. The approaches recognise that even female prisoners had little to do, with no small increases in compliance can have a activities or vocational training available. major impact on the lives of prisoners and However, following the audits and action that meeting many standards requires planning, women have been able to little or no resources, as they are primarily participate in bakery production in male related to policy, procedure, training, institutions (with full precautions taken for documentation and accountability. Repeat the separation of men and women), and the audits at pilot institutions have found production of traditional cloth. Management style and staffing Rehabilitative principles should form the basis of the whole prison approach,52 and the best results are achieved when everyone is committed to these principles as an essential part of their duties, creating a prison-wide culture of rehabilitation. Such approaches also create more positive, safe and rewarding professional experiences for staff. Rehabilitation is more likely to be successful if implemented from the first day of a prisoner’s detention. With this in mind, rehabilitative principles should be at the forefront of all aspects of prison management and, for female prisoners, must be part of a broader gender-sensitive prison management approach. Whilst different approaches are suited to different local contexts and the needs of the prisoner population, there are some aspects of prison management that need to be in place before rehabilitation programmes can thrive. Good relationships between prisoners and staff are critical to the success of rehabilitation programmes. Such relationships are best achieved through dynamic security approaches, through which staff and prisoners have proactive and frequent interactions, allowing staff to understand the rehabilitation needs of individual prisoners and any problems they may face. Prison officers can be key players in prisoners’ rehabilitation, encouraging them to participate in education and training activities and supporting them throughout. This can be especially important for female prisoners, who may suffer from low self-esteem and a lack of confidence in their own educational and vocational potential. Penal Reform International and Thailand Institute of Justice | Guide to the rehabilitation and social reintegration of women prisoners | 21