-49 4.2. Preparing a visit 4.2.1. Gathering data and information before the visit NPMs should strive to gather as much specific information and data about violence in a particular prison as possible. This information can then be compared with that of other prisons and be used to formulate hypotheses on the situation as well as define the objectives and priorities of the visit. This can be useful for fostering a better understanding of the degree of violence happening taking place inside a prison and allow NPMs to effectively monitor hidden dimensions of violence. At the outset, NPMs can examine the operational framework of a prison, i.e. documents such as: • The legislation relating to prisons (e.g. laws, and regulations) • Policies and procedures (e.g. directives, orders) • Staff instructions and professional education of prison staff (e.g. code of conduct, disciplinary processes, job descriptions, training content) • Prisoner instructions (e.g. rules, disciplinary processes) • Information that is publicly available on the homepage of the prison (e.g. which languages are available? Which information is provided and in which way? Are frequently asked questions answered?) The information collected prior to a visit should also include information obtained during previous monitoring visits (of national and international monitoring bodies), information acquired through parliamentary interpellations or data disclosed by the government, as well as information that can be derived from consultations with other stakeholders (see also above, § 4.1.1.). Either in advance of a visit or on the first day of an unannounced visit, NPMs could request/access93 statistics, data, or reports from the prison administration or the respective prison that are relevant for monitoring prison violence. If any required data is not available yet, the NPM should recommend that it is collected. 93. E.g. the Romanian NPM is granted access to general statistics of the prison administration from its offices and has special access to the internal prisoner file management system while visiting a prison (interview with NPM Romania of 30.6.2020). Also the Austrian NPM, Austrian Ombudsman Board has access to parts of the prisoner file management system while visiting a prison. Monitoring Prison Violence