6. Qualified staff  Custodial staff in detention centres for immigration detainees should be carefully selected and receive appropriate training.47  Staff should possess well-developed qualities in the fields of interpersonal communication and cultural sensitivity, given the diverse backgrounds of the detainees. Further, at least some of them should have relevant language skills.48  They should also be taught to recognise possible symptoms of stress reaction displayed by detained persons and to take appropriate action.49  The presence of both male and female staff can have a beneficial effect in terms of the custodial ethos and foster a degree of normality in a place of detention.50 The presence of female custodial staff members should be guaranteed in all establishments accommodating female detainees.51  The ethos of an immigration detention setting should not be carceral, which means that staff working within immigration detention facilities should not be equipped with batons, handcuffs or pepper spray.52 7. Discipline, segregation and means of restraint  As regards discipline, clear procedures should be formally established and applied in practice; any grey areas involve the risk of an unofficial (and uncontrolled) system developing.53 In this context, the CPT recommends that: - formal disciplinary regulations be drafted for holding centres for foreign nationals detained under aliens legislation. These regulations should provide detainees with a right to be heard on the subject of the offences which they are alleged to have committed, and to appeal to a higher authority against any sanctions imposed; - a clear disciplinary procedure be adopted, affording detained persons the rights to be informed in writing of the charges against them, and to call witnesses on their own behalf.54  If segregation is imposed (e.g. for security reasons), the foreign nationals concerned should be provided with a copy of the relevant decision and information on the possibilities to appeal the measure to an outside authority, segregation should be time-limited and a separate register should be established (setting out full information, such as date and time of entering and leaving, grounds for segregation, etc.). 55 Luxembourg: 2015 visit, paragraph 111; Czech Republic: 2014 visit, paragraph 37. Luxembourg: 2015 visit, paragraph 111; Czech Republic: 2014 visit, paragraph 37. 49 Luxembourg: 2015 visit, paragraph 111; Czech Republic: 2014 visit, paragraph 37. 50 Greece: 2013 visit, paragraph 79. 51 Malta: 2004 visit, paragraph 61. 52 Norway: 2011 visit, paragraph 38; Latvia: 2011 visit, paragraph 36. 53 Malta: 2004 visit, paragraph 64. 54 19th General Report on the CPT’s activities, paragraph 88; Ukraine: 2009 visit, paragraph 71; Bulgaria: 2008 visit, paragraph 44; France: 2006 visit, paragraph 76. 55 19th General Report on the CPT’s activities, paragraph 88; Ukraine: 2009 visit, paragraph 71; Bulgaria: 2008 visit, paragraph 44; France: 2006 visit, paragraph 76. 47 48 6

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