Section three Five years of the UK NPM - reflecting and looking ahead The UK NPM took the opportunity of its five-year anniversary to review its work to date, encouraging both internal reflection and external scrutiny with a view to strengthening its future practice. There were three main elements to this review process: an NPM self-assessment using the SPT’s own ‘Analytical self-assessment tool’ (see Appendix Eight), direct feedback from the SPT and; by seeking external viewpoints during the event ‘The UK’s NPM: Five Years On’. On the whole, both NPM members and external stakeholders were positive about the experience to date of the UK NPM and the knowledge and breadth of its members compared favourably with other NPMs around the world. This reflected the UK’s important role in promoting OPCAT throughout its inception and earliest years. At the same time, NPM members and external allies alike identified important areas in which the UK NPM could improve its existing efforts to prevent ill-treatment in detention. An overview of the discussions and findings from this review process is presented below. NPM self-assessment In February 2012, the UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT) published its ‘Analytical self-assessment tool for National Preventive Mechanisms: A preliminary guide by the Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture regarding the functioning of an NPM’.43 Alongside its existing ‘Guidelines on national preventive mechanisms’, this document clarifies the expectations of the SPT regarding the establishment and operation of NPMs. The SPT emphasises that NPMs must develop over time, reinforcing the formal aspects of their mandate and exercise of their powers, as well as incrementally improving and refining their working methods. In 2013, the UK NPM agreed to use this self‑assessment tool to evaluate its compliance with different aspects of its formal mandate, using its five-year anniversary as an opportunity to take stock of its compliance with OPCAT and identify areas for strengthening in the future. The SPT’s narrative tool was turned into a questionnaire (see Appendix Eight), converting the detailed principles and standards into 59 discrete questions. The questionnaire format enabled all members of the UK NPM to assess themselves, using a ‘red, amber, green’ classification, and for the results to be analysed across the NPM. Practices varied across NPM members with regards answering the self-assessment, with some discussing their answers at board level, some among small groups of colleagues, and one member submitting to external peer review. Areas of the tool that related specifically to the role of the NPM coordination and to the State were also discussed. The MOJ were keen to discuss the questionnaire, and remain committed to working closely with HMI Prisons to ensure that the UK NPM meets the criteria laid out in OPCAT. The MOJ welcomed this review of OPCAT compliance across the board and will continue to look at ways in which it can support the effective functioning of the NPM as part of its wider obligations under the UN Convention against Torture. The process of self-assessment promoted systematic internal reflection and also raised awareness of specific requirements arising 43 http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/cat/opcat/docs/AnalyticalTtoolsNPM_en.doc 37