-68 5.5. Staff professionalism and working conditions KEY POINTS ASPECTS TO MONITOR: Working in prison, especially as a prison guard, is a challenging job. The competencies, attitudes and conduct as well as the display of authority by prison staff shapes the prison’s morale and therefore the working conditions and relationships between staff and the prison management. How the staff perceives the leadership and how satisfied they are with their job plays a crucial role for prison culture and the level of violence, including staff-prisoner violence. MONITORING TOOLS: Staff professionalism and working conditions can be effectively monitored by gathering data and information (see above § 4.2.1) as well as through interviews and surveys with staff (see above § 4.3.2 and 4.3.4). STANDARDS: For an overview of standards on staff professionalism and working conditions see above § 3.2.4. GUIDING QUESTIONS Example questions for NPMs’ own assessment - staff professionalism and working conditions • Is the prison understaffed with regards to prison guards? (staff/ prisoner ratio; number of psycho-social staff members such as social workers, psychologists etc.) • How is the recruitment and staff selection organized? Which competencies are envisaged for a prison guard? • Do staff records reflect appropriate training and professional development about violence reduction? What topics does staff training cover (e.g. human rights, the treatment of persons in a vulnerable situation, conflict resolution, prevention and mediation skills, use of authority and force, dynamic security, balancing security measures, suicide prevention, mental health)? Is it evaluated regularly?