Correctional institutions actions). The increase in criminal offenders who are not accountable for their actions has been especially dramatic. Since 1 January 2017, there have been 78 new admissions, which equal an increase of 18.6 %. Need for investment unavoidable In 2017, the NPM made nine visits to facilities for the detention of mentally ill offenders and after-care facilities. These visits again revealed striking deficiencies, which the competent Federal Minister cannot rectify without the approval of additional funds. Material conditions - Göllersdorf correctional institution In May 2017, the NPM visited Göllersdorf correctional institution. The goal of the visit was to evaluate the extent to which this special institution meets the criteria for a therapeutic centre – or can meet these criteria in the future. Devastating criticism The commission concluded that the material conditions at Göllersdorf correctional institution could not be improved to such an extent that the quality standards of a therapeutic centre could be achieved. A high quality therapeutic centre requires sufficient space and privacy for persons being held in detention to enable the creation of a therapeutic atmosphere conducive to healing. After inspection of all the wards of Göllersdorf correctional institution, it was concluded that these standards could not be met. The facility is already too large In the view of the NPM, a facility with a capacity of 130 to 140 places is not longer up-to-date. On an international level, comparable facilities have 40 to 60 places. The standard for therapeutic facilities for mentally ill persons is a single or double bedroom with a 50:50 ratio and an attached sanitary area. The placement of three persons into a single room should generally be avoided. A tour of the institution showed that there is often no opportunity to be alone in the living areas. The communal area is often just the corridor or a shabby, sad and very smoke-filled shared social room. Since the doors to the rooms are open, there is no opportunity to get away from other people for a short period of time, at least, and calm oneself down. For persons with a mental illness this is a substantial additional stress factor. The space situation is oppresive There is no privacy if three or four persons occupy a room. In some rooms, beds are only one and one-half metres from each other. Such crowded space prevents treatment progress, particularly if the detention is of lengthy duration. Detention in this institution does not facilitate recovery, it makes it more difficult. Accordingly, some inmates still showed clear signs of hospitalisation. Doctors consider the situation intolerable Many patients expressed a desire for privacy or the possibility to be alone. The doctors on duty also said that the occupancy of a room by three to four persons is intolerable. In addition, the length of detention at Göllersdorf correctional institution averages five to six years. 104