The worst conditions tended to be in police cells, where people were kept for more than the 24hour legally prescribed period. rates. There is no current information as to what is being done to encourage the imposition of alternative, non-custodial sentencing. The prisons continue to be overcrowded, with precarious hygienic conditions. The law on heinous crimes and other relevant legislation should be amended to ensure that long periods of detention or imprisonment are not imposable for low-level criminality. The crime of “disrespecting authority” should be abolished. (p) Non-governmental sources: There is no recent information on this issue. There should be sufficient public defenders to ensure that legal advice and protection are available for every person deprived of liberty from the moment of arrest. (q) Free legal assistance was illusory for most of the 85% who need it, because of the limited number of public defenders. Non-governmental sources: See current situation for (e). Greater use should be made of and necessary resources Reliance of the primarily volunteer work carried out by Non-governmental sources: The effectiveness of community and state A/HRC/13/39/Add.6 20 programme of awarenessraising within the judiciary is imperative to ensure that this profession becomes sensitive to the need to protect the rights of suspects and convicted prisoners. The judiciary should take some responsibility for the conditions of treatment for those in detention. They should be reluctant to proceed with charges that prevent non-custodial measures when dealing with ordinary criminality. (o)