Preparation for the visit lasts two days and covers review of the corresponding establishment’s legal framework, relevant international standards, applications and complaints addressed to the Commissioner, information collected through the mass media, as well as information submitted to the Commissioner or distributed publicly by an international organization or an NGO, facts discovered on previous visits, and proposal and recommendations made, identification of the scope of the issues to focus on, preparation of visit and interview questions, and determination of the members of the visiting group. Undertaking the visit encompasses, with the purpose of receiving answers to preidentified questions, the organization of confidential private and collective conversations with the management of the establishment, its personnel, persons detained there, and their visitors, monitoring of detention conditions, medical care, nutrition and leisure activities, review of the documents confirming the lawfulness of detention, as well as relating to treatment, obtaining their copies if deemed necessary, and drawing up reports, and protocols to document the flow and results of the actions undertaken. During visits to places of deprivation of liberty, interviews with persons detained there are vital for obtaining essential information with regard to the treatment of detainees and therefore those conversations should be conducted according to the special rules and by ensuring confidentiality. Analysis of visit results covers the comparison of theoretical and empiric information obtained, identification of the reasons causing the discovered shortcomings and preparation of corresponding recommendations and their dispatch, oversight of their implementation, organization of recurrent visits in case when deemed necessary, and finally preparation of press releases on the results of the visit. In 2012, the NPG conducted 411 visits, out of which 322 were scheduled and 89 were adhoc visits. Out of the mentioned visits, 276 visits were carried out to the establishments under the MIA, 115 to the establishments under the MJ, 2 to the establishments under the MNS, 5 to the establishments under the MD, 8 establishments under the MH, 3 to the establishments of ME, 2 to the establishments of the MLSPP.25 During the visits private talks were conducted with 510 detainees kept in temporary detention places, 1028 detainees kept in investigation isolators and penitentiary institutions, 100 persons kept in other places that detainees were not permitted to leave at will, as well as with 130 staff members of those establishments. As in previous years, in order to eliminate the deficiencies and shortcomings revealed during 2012 visits and to improve detention conditions relevant proposals and recommendations 25 See: Appendix 1 14

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