9.2. Detainees in penal institutions During their reception, detainees undergo a medical examination. The empathic behaviour of the nurses to the detainees was exemplary; however, due to the inadequate size, lighting and ventilation of the admission rooms, no confidentiality could be assured between the physician and the detainee. Several detainees felt humiliated by the fact that police officers also stayed in the doctor’s office during the medical examination. I asked the warden of the Budapest Remand Prison to ensure that the size, lighting and ventilation of doctor’s offices are appropriate. Moreover, efforts should be made to ensure that only medical personnel is present at medical examinations, and guards assuring the security of the health professionals stay outside hearing distance. In several cells that were designed for single occupancy, the living space per detainee was less than 6 m2. In the case of multiple-occupancy cells, 4 m2 of living space was ensured per detainee, in accordance with the law. I asked the director of the Institution to ensure the minimum living space prescribed by law in each of the cells. In numerous cells, lighting and ventilation were inadequate due to the view-blockers installed in front of the windows and the breakdown of the ventilation equipment. The toilet seats and covers were missing in many cells. In the showers for the detainees, the knobs were missing, pipes and pointed tap stubs were sticking out from the mouldy walls. I initiated that the warden of the Institution ensure the proper lighting and ventilation of the cells, provide for the replacement or repair of the missing or damaged toilet seats and covers, and taps. Washrooms for detainees in Unit I of the Budapest Remand Prison Detainees reported about the fact that the guards talked to them in a humiliating and debasing manner, and responded to their communication only with delay. Several detainees complained that at the Budapest Remand Prison the guards handcuffed them to radiators and ill-treated them. Based on their accounts, in order to prevent that the physically abused persons hit their head in the wall during the abuse, the guards made them wear 73