Report of the HRD on the activities of the National Preventive Mechanism in Poland in 2011 The National Preventive Mechanism recommended: • Displaying addresses of institutions protecting the rights of juveniles, in particular: the Human Rights Defender, the Ombudsman for Children, the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights and a family court judge, in an easily accessible place. i) Right to education In all visited establishments the right of juveniles to education was respected. Schools and workshops where juveniles learned various professions in practice (e.g. locksmith, welder, mason assistant, carpenter, cook, automotive technicians) were furnished appropriately. The vocational courses allowed juveniles to obtain basic professional skills, thus increasing their opportunities on the labour market. The situation was different in Juvenile Detention Centre in Świecie, due to the specificity of this establishment206. According to the information obtained during the visit, the Ministry of Justice, which supervises the functioning of juvenile detention centres, does not take into account the fact that comprehensive vocational training in such an establishment is impossible. Due to the intellectual abilities of the boys, they can only be trained for a job. Juveniles stated that tutors willingly helped them in doing their homework or catching up with their studies. They could also use a library with books suitable for their age. j) Educational and therapeutic measures The juveniles in visited establishments could benefit from an extensive offer of extracurricular activities, including sports. In the opinion of the NPM, a varied and diversified offer of extra-curricular activities helps form appropriate attitudes among juveniles and allows to better adjust them to life in the society. In the visited establishments, juveniles who wanted to expand their knowledge and improve their skills could participate in scientific and sports activity clubs. The boys could participate not only in various workshops, but also in competitions and contests. They also participated in socio-therapeutic activities, occupational therapy, and group workshops. Moreover, they received psychological and pedagogical assistance adjusted to their individual needs. In addition, the diagnostic and corrective team of Juvenile Detention Centre in Nowe offers group therapies and workshops, such as vocational orientation (original project aimed at helping juveniles become independent, in the end the juveniles receive “A guide for juveniles released from the Juvenile Detention Centre in Nowe”) and psychoprophylaxis of addictions. The re-adaptation group could also participate in personal development workshops, workshops on concentration improvement (pilot project), and individual classes based mainly on individual rehabilitation programmes. The National Preventive Mechanism considers the wide offer of such activities to be a good practice.  JDT in Świecie is a rehabilitation and therapeutic establishment. Its residents include juveniles with mild and moderate intellectual disabilities and with personality disorders caused by an organic damage to the central nervous system. 206 114