CAT/OP/CRI/CSPRO/1 Food and physical conditions in prisons (paras. 53, 55, 57 and 59) 76. As mentioned above, the Ministry of Justice and Peace is in the process of finalizing a strategic action plan – the Central Infrastructure Plan – to alleviate infrastructure problems. Since the Subcommittee’s visit, many improvements have already been made to the existing facilities, including numerous improvements with regard to access to drinking water, lighting and ventilation and the maintenance of sanitary facilities. 77. The Directorate General for Social Rehabilitation has two units whose work touches on the issue of prison infrastructure, pursuant to its establishing act, namely the Board for Construction, Installation and Property Acquisition and the Department of Architecture. 78. Between January 2019 and 15 October 2020, the Board for Construction, Installation and Property Acquisition invested a total of 3,347,167,437.62 million colones (approximately US$ 6 million) in existing infrastructure to cover the costs of the maintenance and construction of electrical power hook-ups, classrooms, bathrooms, multipurpose rooms, recreation spaces, water storage tanks and new accommodation blocks. It also invested 17,105,235,412.24 colones (approximately $28.5 million) in projects currently under way and 873,475,793.70 colones (approximately $1.5 million) in projects currently in the procurement phase. (For more information, see Official Letter No. D.E PCIAB-407-2020.) 79. The Department of Architecture also has a portfolio of projects: Between 2019 and the time of writing, the Department invested 4,972,426,551.87 colones (approximately $8.3 million), using funds provided by the Board for Construction, Installation and Property Acquisition, and 13,186,736,404.57 colones (approximately $22 million), using funds from the national budget, in projects designed to improve the state of infrastructure. 80. The above measures reflect the strong commitment of the Ministry of Justice and Peace to improving prison infrastructure. As the Subcommittee has noted, however, the efforts made to date are insufficient to reduce overcrowding, an objective which will require the involvement and commitment of many State agencies and social actors. 81. The competent authorities are committed to ensuring that all persons deprived of liberty are provided with a mattress in good condition, which is their right and a means of ensuring the minimum decent conditions needed for rest and good mental and physical health. The Department of Institutional Supplies reports that it has placed three orders for mattresses since the Subcommittee’s visit, one in September 2019, one in February 2020 and one in October 2020, purchasing a total of 31,080 mattresses for a total cost of $345,567. 82. The Ministry of Justice and Peace allocates an annual budget for the acquisition of necessary goods and the maintenance and construction of prison infrastructure. However, two factors make it harder for the prison administration to fulfil its obligations: firstly, public spending has been reduced in response to the current fiscal crisis in Costa Rica, and secondly, the mattresses supplied are consistently vandalized by the prison population, which substantially shortens their lifespan. 83. With regard to the preparation and distribution of food, there is indeed room for substantial improvement within the Directorate General for Social Rehabilitation. To support the cleaning and disinfection operations of kitchen staff, in 2019 the National Nutrition Coordination Office and the prison catering services developed a workplace cleaning protocol for the Ministry of Justice and Peace. 84. The protocol must be adapted to the facilities and conditions of the workplace and teams in each prison and must be brought to the attention of all persons working in the catering services. Its application is compulsory and a copy must be readily available to kitchen staff so that it can be consulted and applied at all times. 85. All kitchen staff have been trained in how to handle food, as have most of the persons deprived of liberty who provide help in the kitchens. The prison administration plans to identify all persons who have not yet received such training and will work with the National Training Institute to provide it. 86. There is currently no standardized procedure for handling, preparing and transporting food, since conditions vary from one facility to another. However, pursuant to the Subcommittee’s recommendation, an initial proposal has been sent to the Technological GE.20-17766 11