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(2) If a prisoner is illiterate, the aforesaid information shall be conveyed to him orally.
36. (1) Every prisoner shall have the opportunity each week day of making requests or complaints to
the director of the institution or the officer authorized to represent him.
(2) It shall be possible to make requests or complaints to the inspector of prisons during his
inspection. The prisoner shall have the opportunity to talk to the inspector or to any other inspecting
officer without the director or other members of the staff being present.
(3) Every prisoner shall be allowed to make a request or complaint, without censorship as to substance
but in proper form, to the central prison administration, the judicial authority or other proper
authorities through approved channels.
(4) Unless it is evidently frivolous or groundless, every request or complaint shall be promptly dealt
with and replied to without undue delay.
Contact with the outside world
37. Prisoners shall be allowed under necessary supervision to communicate with their family and
reputable friends at regular intervals, both by correspondence and by receiving visits.
38. (1) Prisoners who are foreign nationals shall be allowed reasonable facilities to communicate with
the diplomatic and consular representatives of the State to which they belong.
(2) Prisoners who are nationals of States without diplomatic or consular representation in the country
and refugees or stateless persons shall be allowed similar facilities to communicate with the diplomatic
representative of the State which takes charge of their interests or any national or international
authority whose task it is to protect such persons.
39. Prisoners shall be kept informed regularly of the more important items of news by the reading of
newspapers, periodicals or special institutional publications, by hearing wireless transmissions, by
lectures or by any similar means as authorized or controlled by the administration.
Books
40. Every institution shall have a library for the use of all categories of prisoners, adequately stocked
with both recreational and instructional books, and prisoners shall be encouraged to make full use of it.
Religion
41. (1) If the institution contains a sufficient number of prisoners of the same religion, a qualified
representative of that religion shall be appointed or approved. If the number of prisoners justifies it
and conditions permit, the arrangement should be on a full-time basis.
(2) A qualified representative appointed or approved under paragraph (1) shall be allowed to hold
regular services and to pay pastoral visits in private to prisoners of his religion at proper times.
(3) Access to a qualified representative of any religion shall not be refused to any prisoner. On the
other hand, if any prisoner should object to a visit of any religious representative, his attitude shall be
fully respected.
42. So far as practicable, every prisoner shall be allowed to satisfy the needs of his religious life by
attending the services provided in the institution and having in his possession the books of religious
observance and instruction of his denomination.
Retention of prisoners' property