At the present time it does not appear that healthcare that is in
conformity with basic rights is being provided by the special medical
facility at the Stein correctional institution. If the special medical facility
at the Stein correctional institution is continued, it needs permanent
improvements in structure, personnel, nursing care and medical care
in order to meet the minimum requirements of the basic right to
health.
The NPM demands that nursing care be provided in a conscientious, caring and humane
manner.
It is recommended that the Federal Ministry of Justice quickly decides whether the special
medical facility can be continued in this form.
2.5.4
Structural defects in the forensic department
of the Rankweil regional hospital
During a visit to the forensic station of Rankweil Regional Hospital, the
commission observed a series of deficits. For example, the spatial
situation was extremely precarious: a cell with up to four beds
permitted no privacy; the individual daybeds were not even separated
by visual cover.
Close quarters cause
stress
The corridor is the only common area and is merely about 8 m2 in size.
In addition, it is the only area where the patients can smoke. There is
no outside or free area they can use.
The commission noted that this station sometimes housed persons
under severe mental stress who had no certainty regarding further
criminal proceedings or the duration of their stay in the hospital. The
potential for aggression often manifested at a forensic station can be
additionally intensified by the crowded spatial situation.
High potential for
aggression
At the time of the visit, an ergo therapy room, which the personnel had
to cross, contained items with which patients could endanger
themselves or others.
Unnecessary safety
hazards
There was no outdoor area or inner courtyard that would enable the
persons being held there to be outside in the fresh air. This open
space would prevent much aggression at the station and would be a
significant improvement for the patients.
No green area
Confronted with these deficits, the Federal Ministry of Justice pointed
out the annual payments it made, but did not consider itself
responsible for the specific conditions of detention and the facilities at
the station. Moreover, all of the medical facilities used by the Federal
Ministry of Justice are visited once a year by employees of the relevant
department of the prison administration. However, neither the Federal
Ministry of Justice nor the prison administration do function in a
Federal Ministry of
Justice denies
responsibility
105
Select target paragraph3
Connect to a paragraph
Connect to an entity
Disable highlights
Add to table of contents