OPINIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE FRENCH CGLPL There should doubtless be an increase in staffing levels, but certain responsibilities should also be delegated (we know that, since the prisons act, the head of the institution can change the release hours: article  712-8 of the code of criminal procedure) and encourage subsequent checks on behaviour, to assess the validity of the plan, both concerning its results and its original content. 12/ Those on partial release represent 20% of persons in custody who are not accommodated in ordinary detention, and less than 3% of prisoners under general law. Although their number on 1st  January 2012 was up compared to the previous year, the number of partialrelease measures decided over the last four years has been regularly decreasing (-16% compared to 2008). This is a paradox that is probably partly due to the increasing use of electronic surveillance, a rather scant arrangement in which there is usually absolutely no social support. Partial release, a sentence given subject to probation, is, however, a very useful instrument, well-designed in principle, which can contribute significantly to the reintegration of sentenced persons and the prevention of recidivism. Still, those in question need to be given the desire to succeed. This depends on them, but also on the circumstances that the material conditions of life and the rights that are associated with partial release combine to bring about; that the individualised support and attendant measures are sufficient, particularly for controlling difficulties that have previously been highlighted; and that the persons in question do not have to manage numerous unexpected and complex procedures as well as their working time. It is under these conditions that the number of those on partial release could be increased and the successful proportion of those subject to the measure, already high, could be improved still further. 140