The Civil Monitoring Boards’ (CMBs) internal co-ordination and communication with external control mechanisms further improved following the second annual CMBs meeting, held on 21 and 22 October 2021 in Antalya. A total of 105 participants actively engaged in the discussion and benefited from the presentations on the novelties in international standards and best practices in prison monitoring and on building synergies between national and international monitoring bodies, aiming to improve the quality of the civic monitoring system.
Four consultants, out of which three former CPT members, facilitated the group works on topics relevant to the CMB members, such as interview techniques with inmates, writing effective reports, communication and cooperation with other monitoring mechanisms, as well as individual complaints and referral mechanisms.
“The presentation of DOs & DON’Ts in interview techniques will improve the quality and efficiency of interviews between us and inmates” and “Discussions and exchange of experience between the CMBs and other external monitors will ensure synergies among all the prison monitors in Turkey”, were some of the impressions shared during the event. As a conclusion, such coordination meetings significantly contribute towards better understanding of CMBs work and facilitate exchanges of experiences between different CMBs and other external monitors.
This was the second annual meeting organised within the scope of the Project entitled “Enhancing the Effectiveness of the Civil Monitoring Boards in Turkey in line with the European Standards”, funded by Sweden, Switzerland, the Republic of Turkey, the Human Rights Trust Fund of the Council of Europe and Canada.