The overall purpose of this checklist is to assist Member States in conducting internal or administrative inspections to assess compliance of their national prison systems with the Nelson Mandela Rules, and thus to facilitate the practical application of the Rules at national level. More specifically, it aims to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of internal inspection systems conducted by the central prison administration as important agents of change now explicitly referred to in the Rules in their task of contributing to the creation of prison conditions and management in line with national law as well as with international standards and norms.