MONITORING PLACES OF DETENTION : A PRACTICAL GUIDE 152 Comments 3 Visiting mechanisms will wish to check stores and talk to staff and detainees to make sure that detainees have clothes, which are adapted to the climate and maintain their dignity. No circumstances justify the use of humiliating clothing as part of the punitive framework. It is preferable if the detainees can keep their own clothes or wear civilian clothing, which permit a sense of individual identity. Each prisoner should have access to laundry facilities so that all clothes, especially those worn next to the skin, can be washed regularly, either communally or by the detainee. Detainees should have individual beds and bedding that are clean and in good condition. Sharing beds or sleeping on a rota basis are not acceptable. If overcrowding reaches such high levels, the government bodies responsible for the places of detention have to take immediately appropriate measures in order to improve the situation. Sheets must be changed regularly. Some reference points ■ What kind of clothes do the detainees wear? ■ Is clothing (shoes and other garments) appropriate to climate and season? ■ Do working prisoners have access to appropriate clothing? ■ What access do detainees have to laundry, including drying, facilities? ■ Does each detainee have a separate bed and bedding? ■ How frequently is bedding laundered? Are there sufficient stores of clothes and bedding? ■ Are they in a good state of repair?