Places visited by the National Preventive Mechanism in 2011 and treatment group of JDT in Świecie. The bedrooms had only two beds and a mattress on the floor, with no bedside tables or other furniture or decor which would make the juveniles feel more at home. The practice of placing boys on mattresses lying on the floor met with the greatest criticism. The head of the boarding house explained that the reason for such practice was bed-wetting of some juveniles, but this argument was rejected by the representatives of the National Preventive Mechanism who noted that it was possible to efficiently protect the beds and their surroundings against bodily fluids without reducing the furnishings. It must be stressed that according to the CPT in addition to being of an adequate size, well lit and ventilated, juveniles’ sleeping and living areas should be properly furnished, well-decorated and offer appropriate visual stimuli. Unless there are compelling security reasons to the contrary, juveniles should be allowed to keep a reasonable quantity of personal items194. The said bedrooms were also used as transition rooms, patient’s rooms and isolation rooms. Due to the fact that the rooms were used for different purposes, the NPM found it difficult to assess whether they were appropriately furnished and used. The NPM also found it unlikely that juveniles in transition rooms could i.a. listen to the radio and watch TV, as provided for in the “Regulations on the functioning of the therapeutic and treatment group and the transition room”. On the day of the visit the rooms were not furnished with appropriate devices for this purpose and the records of the transition rooms did not prove that juveniles could use the equipment in one of entertainment rooms. Isolation rooms in Juvenile Detention Centre in Nowe and in Juvenile Shelter in Chojnice did not meet the requirements laid down in § 5(1) of the Ordinance of the Council of Ministers of 22 February 2011 on detailed conditions and method of using coercive measures with respect to juveniles in juvenile detention centres, juvenile shelters, youth care centres and youth sociotherapy centres195. In the first establishment, the room was not furnished with a floor fixed chair, table and bed, while in the latter the difficulties with meeting the requirements of the said Ordinance resulted from architectural design of the building. In response to the recommendation of the Mechanism, the directors of both establishments informed that isolation rooms were adjusted to the requirements of the Ordinance. The visiting team was also concerned about furnishing of transition rooms in the JDT and the JS in Konstantynów Łódzki which looked the same as isolation rooms and lacked any furnishing or decor that would make children feel at home. Therefore, juveniles in this establishment often confused those two types of rooms and believed they are placed in an isolation room, not in a transition room. Pursuant to § 44(4) of the Ordinance196, a transition room is a separate room furnished as a dwelling. The National Preventive Mechanism recommended adjusting isolation rooms and transition rooms to the requirements of the aforementioned Ordinances.  See: § 29 of the 9 th General Report (CPT, Inf (99) 12).  Dz. U. of 2011, No 124, item 1359, as amended. 196  Ibidem. 194 195 109

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