CPT: 9TH GENERAL REPORT 4. staffing issues 33. The custody and care of juveniles deprived of their liberty is a particularly challenging task. The staff called upon to fulfil that task should be carefully selected for their personal maturity and ability to cope with the challenges of working with - and safeguarding the welfare of - this age group. More particularly, they should be committed to working with young people, and be capable of guiding and motivating the juveniles in their charge. All such staff, including those with purely custodial duties, should receive professional training, both during induction and on an ongoing basis, and benefit from appropriate external support and supervision in the exercise of their duties. Moreover, the management of such centres should be entrusted to persons with advanced leadership skills, who have the capacity to respond in an effective manner to the complex and competing demands placed upon them, both by juveniles and by staff. 5. contact with the outside world 34. The CPT attaches considerable importance to the maintenance of good contact with the outside world for all persons deprived of their liberty. The guiding principle should be to promote contact with the outside world; any restrictions on such contacts should be based exclusively on security concerns of an appreciable nature or considerations linked to available resources. The active promotion of such contacts can be especially beneficial for juveniles deprived of their liberty, many of whom may have behavioural problems related to emotional deprivation or a lack of social skills. The CPT also wishes to stress that a juvenile's contact with the outside world should never be restricted or denied as a disciplinary measure. 15 6. discipline 35. Places where juveniles may be deprived of their liberty almost invariably make provision for disciplinary sanctions to be applied to inmates who misbehave. In this connection, the CPT is particularly concerned about the placement of juveniles in conditions resembling solitary confinement, a measure which can compromise their physical and/or mental integrity. The Committee considers that resort to such a measure must be regarded as highly exceptional. If juveniles are held separately from others, this should be for the shortest possible period of time and, in all cases, they should be guaranteed appropriate human contact, granted access to reading material and offered at least one hour of outdoor exercise every day. All disciplinary procedures applied to juveniles should be accompanied by formal safeguards and be properly recorded. In particular, juveniles should have the right to be heard on the subject of the offence which they are alleged to have committed, and to appeal before a higher authority against any sanctions imposed; full details of all such sanctions should be recorded in a register kept in each establishment where juveniles are deprived of their liberty. 7. complaints and inspection procedures 36. Effective complaints and inspection procedures are basic safeguards against ill-treatment in juvenile establishments. Juveniles should have avenues of complaint open to them, both within and outside the establishments’ administrative system, and be entitled to confidential access to an appropriate authority. The CPT also attaches particular importance to regular visits to all juvenile establishments by an independent body (for example, a visiting committee or a judge) with authority to receive - and, if necessary, take action on - juveniles’ complaints and to inspect the accommodation and facilities.

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