National Preventive Mechanism: 2017 recommendations NPM1 The bodies who make up New Zealand’s National Preventive Mechanism are crucial for ensuring that all those deprived of their liberty are treated with respect for their human dignity and free from torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. As such, they have a particularly important role to play in monitoring places of detention. Nowhere is this role more important that in the most hidden part of all places of detention, namely, solitary confinement units. Training on monitoring places of detention should be better coordinated and harmonised. All NPM bodies should have refresher training in how to monitor places of detention. NPM2 NPM members should consider the adoption of a joint approach to monitoring the use of seclusion and restraint across their different areas of responsibility and promoting an agenda of reducing, and eventually eliminating, the use of seclusion and restraint across the board, in line with current international thinking. NPM3 All NPM members should consider making their monitoring reports public. NPM4 Further work is needed to better understand the views and experiences of those subjected to seclusion or the application of restraint and those of staff working in solitary confinement units, and their perceptions of each other. Further work is also needed to gain a better understanding of the apparent overrepresentation of Mäori among secluded populations as well as cultural aspects of seclusion and restraint. 55