P r i s on e r s i n a s i tu a tio n o f v u ln e r ab i lity -A Handbook for National Preventive Mechanisms- AUTHORS This Handbook was written by Krassimir Kanev of the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee. It was developed in the framework of the EU Project “Improving judicial cooperation across the EU through harmonised detention standards - the role of National Preventive Mechanisms”, implemented by the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Fundamental and Human Rights (Austria) in cooperation with the Hungarian Helsinki Committee (Hungary), the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee (Bulgaria) and the Associazione Antigone (Italy). ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The project team would like to thank all NPM representatives and other stakeholders who participated in the consultations conducted in the framework of this project. We greatly appreciate their commitment and engagement. Our most sincere gratitude goes also to all the members of the External Advisory Board, Dirk van Zyl Smit, Wolfgang Gratz, Nora Sveaass, the Association for the Prevention of Torture, and Alison Liebling. A special thank to Nora Sveaass, who has reviewed this draft and provided valuable inputs and comments. Their inputs, contributions and feedback have greatly improved this publication. Sofia, March 2021