9 Status of convicted persons in the system for enforcement of criminal sanctions in Serbia has considerable weaknesses. Large penal-correctional institutions are still overcrowded. In many prison facilities7 the principle of joint serving of sentence is not realized. Namely, convicted persons do not spend time provided with other prisoners in the common areas during the day, but isolated in cells at all times (either alone or in small groups). Measure of increased supervision, instead of being realised through giving greater attention to the convicted persons, it is mainly confined to seclusion of these persons and their exclusion from regular prison activities. Communication between correctional counsellors and convicted persons were sporadic. Engaging convicts in prison labour is insufficient. A lack of cultural content is also undeniable. The method of classification of prisoners is not sufficiently transparent. Convicted persons are not being familiarized with the criteria for their development whereas correctional counsellors are mostly engaged in administering the questionnaires. Progress mechanism in the correctional treatment, following the existing criteria, involves difficult transition of the convicted persons to more developed treatment groups, resulting in many offenders being released from prison having remained in the same treatment group in which they had been sorted immediately after the admission to the prison. Prison facilities intended for juveniles and women8 are central (and only) institutions receiving 200 persons each. Especially in those intended for juvenile offenders, there are strong informal systems established which intensifies the unfeasibility of adequate treatments. In such central facilities, the main issue arises from the fact that some prisoners are very far away from their residences, which makes it extremely difficult in terms of maintaining contact with their families. Deficiencies in health care in prisons are numerous. Initial medical examinations are typically grouped together where prisoners may not be examined without clothing nor do exist protocols that specify the actual content of medical examinations. In practice, periodic health examinations of the prisoners are not carried out. Mainly non-medical staff attend medical examinations. There is a noticeable lack of medicines. Doctors generally do not fulfil their role in protection from abuse. In some cases, they fail to identify and describe in detail all observed injuries, and generally do not provide an opinion on the cause-and-effect relationship between the applied measure of coercion or an explanation as in how the injury occurred – with injuries that were directly observed during the examination. Prisoners with mental problems are deployed according to the regular prison regime, which does not suit their needs and creates a major security risk for them and their environment, and furthermore represents a major burden to the staff not specialized in the treatment of such persons. The Law on Protection of Persons with Mental Problems9 contains a number of disadvantages. It stipulates that the mental health community is organised as a supplementary activity of the existing psychiatric hospitals and health centres with no specialized staff that apart have no interest in this regard. Along with such decision, activities in the field of de-institutionalisation are unnoticeable in Serbia. A measure of seclusion for psychiatric patients was stipulated in the law and not only that they are not in accordance with applicable standards, but it also has not been adhered to for many years in Serbia. In addition, the Law stipulates the field of competence of police officers in maintaining order within the psychiatric hospital which is not in accordance with the applicable standards bearing in mind that they are uniformed and armed persons. Existing psychiatric hospitals are massive with a few hundred to a thousand patients. They largely assume asylum character since there are numerous patients excluded from the community mainly over 7 8 9 Special department of the Penal-Correctional Facility in Požarevac for execution of sentences for offenses related to organised crime, the newly built Penal-Correctional Facility Belgrade in Padinska Skela, VII pavilion in the Penal Correctional Facility in Požarevac, II Pavilion in the Penal-Correctional Facility in Niš and also in many district prisons. Penal-Correctional Facility for women in Požarevac, Juvenile Correctional Facility in Valjevo and Juvenile Reformatory in Kruševac. Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia No 45/13.