2.3.2. A practice that equates to ill-treatment 2.3.2.1. Existing regime and restrictions in high risk and closed type penitentiary facilities as illtreatment As in previous years, the management of high risk and closed establishments is based on the principles of static security, which imposes the strictest limitations, prohibitions, regime and is not focused on a positive change in the behavior of convicts.50 In addition, in the absence of proper multidisciplinary work in these establishments, isolation of prisoners and placement in a de-escalation room are actively used, which is discussed in the relevant sub-chapter below. Inmates in closed and high risk penitentiary facilities are kept in a cell for 23 hours without any activities of interest to them, and only for 1 hour in walking yards, meager infrastructure of which does not allow for the leisure and recreation of prisoners.51 Convicts who have been identified having a high risk of danger are more likely to have limited contact with the outside world by law. Restrictions on physical contact with the outside world as a result of the imposition of special conditions have had an even greater impact on prisoners placed in special risk facilities. It is unfortunate that during the period of special conditions, when meetins were restricted, the ban to use the telephones and personal correspondence in the form of disciplinary sanctions was still used in penitentiary facilities in certain cases. A significant proportion of inmates in penitentiary establishments suffer from psychological problems and regularly receive psychotropic medications. Consequently, the restrictive regime in the facility and the restriction of contact with the outside world aggravate their mental state. The existing restrictive environment leads to aggression on the part of prisoners towards both staff and other prisoners and creates a violent environment, followed by protests by prisoners in the form of starvation and self-harm and the use of security measures by the administration. Facility staff perceive hunger and self-harm by inmates as a deliberate attempt by inmates to complicate their working conditions. For example, according to the employees of the N6 establishment, there are frequent cases of abuse of employees by prisoners. They say that prisoners transfer aggression to employees, try to complicate their work and create tension. It is noteworthy that according to the information sent to the investigative body from the Establishment N6, from January 1, 2020 to December 18, 2020, there were 7 alleged cases of physical confrontation, of which 3 were conflicts between inmates and 4 between inmates and personnel. According to the Special Preventive Group, the current practice of limiting the communication of prisoners in closed (N2 and N8) and special risk (N3 and N6) penitentiary establishments and the lack of "Regulations of ordinary prisons should be extended as much as possible to the special risk facility. Security measures in prisons of exceptional risk should be applied only to the extent necessary" Council of Europe, Committee of Ministers, Committee of Ministers Recommendation (82) at the 350th Meeting of Deputy Ministers, available in English at: https://bit.ly/39DLlFD , [last visited: 31.01.2021]. 51 These yards are cell-type rooms with a wall enclosed on all four sides and metal lattices with open ceilings. Exercise equipment is minimally present in the yards. 50 35