The use of handcuffs during transport The NMPT delegation found that patients are transported by ambulance assisted by the police, i.e. the policemen handcuff the patients (sometimes also including feet cuffs) and leave them in the ambulance attended by a medical rescue team and follow the ambulance in a police car. Handcuffs are taken off only at the Emergency Department. It was found that this is a routine practice (encountered by many hospitals) used towards all patients – detainees in order to prevent escape157. The practice of installing CCTV (surveillance) in such facilities is very common. The issue has been described in the chapter: Psychiatric Hospitals – Systemic Problems. No legal basis for body search Body search is carried out as a one-stage procedure (patient must strip naked), instead of a two-stage procedure (patients take off their top clothes, after the search they put on their top clothes and take off their bottom clothes), which is applicable in respect of detainees. This issue has been described in details in the chapter: Psychiatric Hospitals – Systemic Problems. youth care centres and juvenile detention centres systemic problems Drafting new legislation concerning juvenile delinquency proceedings Drafting a new act concerning juvenile delinquency proceedings158 is the most important issue from the point of view of minors staying at MOWs (youth care centres) and ZPs (juvenile detention centres). According to the NMPT the new act should regulate issues concerning the access of inmates to healthcare (including also specialized healthcare for pregnant minors), the use of video surveillance, drug and alcohol tests, contacts with parents, legal guardians or attorneys. In 2019, the NMPT presented comments to a juvenile delinquency bill of 8 March 2019, which was described in the chapter on Delivering opinions on legislative acts. lack of systemic measures concerning the situation of pregnant minors and minor mothers and their new born babies ☞Minor mothers who are detained should be able to permanently stay with their babies, to build emotional and family bonds rather than be allowed to occasionally see their babies who are under a custody of other people. 157 158 See the description of systemic problem in the chapter on Psychiatric Hospitals herein. This problem has been highlighted by the NMPT for years, see i.a. a Report of the Commissioner for Human Rights on the operation in Poland of the National Mechanism for the Prevention of Torture in 2018. Report of the Commissioner for Human Rights on the activities of the National Mechanism for the Prevention of Torture in Poland in 2019 63