MONITORING METHODOLOGY
C. REVIEW OF REGISTERS AND OTHER DOCUMENTS
Depending on the powers of investigation and capacity the monitoring body has,
it is vital that it examines files, registers, recordings and other documents at the
beginning of the monitoring process. These documents can help to cross-check
information observed during the inspection of the premises, during interviews or
to help in selecting areas of particular interest to visit or people to be interviewed,
for example.
The first useful documents to consult are the rules and regulations of the facility
that detail all the in-house rules that govern the daily life within the place of
deprivation of liberty. Compared to child specific indicators, these rules already
give monitors an overview of how the rights and standards applied to children
deprived of their liberty are implemented within the premises.
In this context, particular attention should be paid to disciplinary sanctions and
procedure, security rules, means of restraints and use of force authorised as well
as rules applicable to contact with the outside world (telephone, visits, etc.).
This analysis will show specific aspects that will be important to cross-check
regarding their implementation in practice, from the perspective of children on
the one hand and from the point of view of the staff on the other hand.
It is also important to pay attention to the language in which these documents
are formulated and how they have been explained to children (and by whom)
upon their arrival in the facility.
The individual file of the child including its personal programme of education,
vocational training, social care, counselling and – potentially – medical treatment
should absolutely be consulted.
The registers that can be examined – if they exist – are the following:
ʺʺ the register of admissions, entries and exits
(in order to know how long children have been held in the facility, how many children
are deprived of their liberty at the same time cf. overcrowding, how often they have
been able to go out with permission or for home leave, etc.);
ʺʺ the register of property taken on admission
(in order to check if the inventory is consistent with the properties retained pending
the release);
ʺʺ the register of disciplinary measures or sanctions
(in order to identify children who have been sanctioned, how many times, for which
reasons and through what kind of measures);
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