Structure of the Report The structure of the Report has been organised so as to reflect the results of work of the National Mechanism for the Prevention of Torture (hereinafter referred to as the NMPT) in 2016 to the largest possible extent. Last year, the following places of detention were visited7: • pre-trial detention centres/prisons, • youth care centres, • rooms for detained persons within police organisational units, • social care homes, • psychiatric hospitals, • closed detention centres for migrants. The NMPT also re-inspected 4 places of detention which were already inspected in the past years. All the places were visited so as to check whether no torture or inhuman, degrading treatment or punishment is applied there. During each visit, regardless of the type of the place of detention, the NMPT examined the following aspects: treatment of detained persons, their living conditions, the right to health protection, the right of access to information, the right to contacts with the outside world, the right to religious practices, and the qualifications of the personnel. This Report describes, among others, irregularities in the implementation of citizens’ rights and freedoms. As not all visited places of detention were identified as having such irregularities, the individual parts of this Report may differ from each other in terms of issues analysed. If some aspect (e.g. the right to religious practices) is not described, it means that the NMPT did not find any violations in this area in a given type of detention places. Each type of the places of detention visited by the NMPT in 2016 is described separately and its specific systemic problems are indicated. During preventive visits, the NMPT is also trying to pay attention to positive sides of the establishments, which is reflected in the Report in the section Strengths and good practices. According to Article 4(1) of the OPCAT, a place of detention is any place under the country’s jurisdiction and control where persons are or may be deprived of their liberty, either by virtue of an order given by a public authority or at its instigation or with its consent or acquiescence. 7 8