The basic objectives and principles for the treatment of lifesentenced prisoners 74. In the CPT’s view, the objectives and principles for the treatment of life-sentenced prisoners enunciated by the Committee of Ministers in Recommendation Rec (2003) 23 on the management by prison administrations of life sentence and other long-term prisoners remains the most pertinent and comprehensive reference document for this group of prisoners. In summary, these principles are: ►► the individualisation principle: each life sentence must be based on an individual sentence plan, which is tailored to the needs and risks of the prisoner; ►► the normalisation principle: lifesentenced prisoners should, like all prisoners, be subject only to the restrictions that are necessary for their safe and orderly confinement; ►► the responsibility principle: life-­ sentenced prisoners should be given opportunities to exercise personal responsibility in daily prison life, including in sentence planning; ►► the security and safety principles: a clear distinction should be made between any risks posed by lifesentenced prisoners to the external community and any risks posed by them to other prisoners and persons working in or visiting the prison; ►► the non-segregation principle: lifesentenced prisoners should not be segregated on the sole ground of their sentence, but be allowed to associate with other prisoners on the basis of risk assessments which take into account all relevant factors; General Report of the CPT, 2015 ► Page 38 ►► the progression principle: life-sentenced prisoners should be encouraged and enabled to move through their sentence to improved conditions and regimes on the basis of their individual behaviour and cooperation with programmes, staff and other prisoners. Establishing these principles in practice 75. Prisons must be safe, secure and ordered, for the sake of all who become involved with them. Since being locked up, especially for an unknown period, is inherently damaging for almost all human beings, steps must be taken to minimise the damage. One important method of achieving this for life-­ sentenced prisoners is to give them a definite date for the first review for possible release, and a tailored individual programme which provides a realistic series of interventions for each prisoner leading towards that date. Of course, this programme will require regular review, but the objective should always be to engage the prisoner in its development and to provide the prisoner with staging posts and feedback on performance. As a result, such a programme should ensure that all life-sentenced prisoners are given the opportunity to address all aspects of their situation before the date of their first review. This should also entail time spent in less secure conditions, especially on leave in the community towards the end of the period, to ensure that the risk and needs management plan will function outside a secure environment. Continuity of care in the community is crucial to successful re­integration, and a plan for this should be established well before the release date.