Annual Report 2010 by the National Preventive Mechanism against Torture
There are no centralised cell
There were no centralised cell opening systems for emergencies or provisions for
opening systems for
urgent evacuation of detainees, except at the cells in the courthouse building in
emergency evacuation
Pamplona (Navarre). This was also the only such building visited that had audio
systems for detainees to communicate with custodial officers.
Relevant health
238. The protocol for healthcare applied is that of whichever force is in charge
information must be
of custody at each establishment. Custodial officers complained repeatedly that
passed on to officers in
charge of transportation
and custody. Proper co
they had no knowledge of any infectious and contagious diseases that detainees
might be carrying: proper co-ordination is needed between the different police
ordination between police
forces and prisons so that any relevant health information is passed on to officers
forces and prisons is
in charge of transportation and custody, along the lines indicated in Instruction
therefore required
7, Subsection (h) of SES Instruction 8/2009, amending Instruction 5/2009 on the
transportation and custody of prison inmates. Pregnant women are deal with
using the same protocols as other detainees, and no information on the existence
of written rules for these cases was found.
Inmates are not provided
239. Detainees and prisoners have breakfast at the facilities where they spend
with meals, nor is there any
the night and, since they are usually held in courthouse cells only in the
provision for this.
The lack of a continuous,
unlimited drinking water
supply at the courthouses
in Las Palmas de Gran
mornings, are not provided with meals. There is no provision for cases in
which the taking of statements by the judge may be delayed. This situation
should be remedied on a general level. At the cells in the courthouse at Plaza
de Castilla in Madrid any food that needs to be served to the occupants is pre
Canaria and Maspalomas
packaged and pre-prepared by an external contractor, but final preparation is
(Las Palmas) must be
handled by three grade three inmates, who do this as remunerated prison
remedied as a priority
work. At the cells in the courthouse in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and
Maspalomas (Las Palmas), detainees do not have continuous unlimited access
to water: bottled water needs to be used, and none is supplied by the regional
autonomous authorities responsible for the establishment. Remedying this
shortcoming is a priority.
In the courthouse at Plaza
240. Cells are not usually supplied with mattresses or blankets, as detainees do
de Castilla in Madrid it was
not spend the night there, though at the cells in the courthouse buildings in
requested that blankets
and mattresses be
Navarre disposable blankets are available if necessary. In exceptional cases
hygienised after each use
when detainees have to spend the night in the cells in the courthouse at Plaza de
and that old, broken
Castilla in Madrid, they sleep in a cell with bunk beds, the mattresses and
furniture be replaced
blankets for which were found to be in a poor state of hygiene and conservation.
It was requested that old, broken furniture be replaced and that the blankets
Custodial staff need to be
called when occupants
and mattresses, which are currently changed every two weeks, be cleaned after
each use.
wish to use the toilet.
Hygiene and upkeep were
241. Except in the courthouse at Plaza de Castilla in Madrid the toilets are
satisfactory in most cases
outside the cells, so custodial staff must be called when detainees wish to use
106
THE OMBUDSMAN OF SPAIN
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