EN_CPT_AR.book Page 24 Monday, October 25, 2010 5:14 PM CPT General Report 2009-2010 Report on the ad hoc visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina in May 2009 and response of the authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina (treatment of prisoners and of forensic and acute psychiatric patients) 42. The May 2009 visit was very much of a follow-up nature, aimed at assessing progress made by the authorities towards implementing recommendations made by the CPT after its periodic visit in 2007. The CPT’s delegation focused on prisonrelated issues and the treatment of forensic and acute psychiatric patients. 43. Ill-treatment of prisoners by staff at Zenica Prison was found to have decreased significantly as compared to the situation observed in 2007. However, the information gathered indicated that a culture conducive to inter-prisoner intimidation and violence continued to reign at the establishment. It appeared that the prison was still not under the effective control of prison staff, due to a combination of large dormitories and extremely low staffing levels. The situation was further exacerbated by the continued overcrowding, which did not permit a careful assessment, classification and cell allocation of individual prisoners within the prison population. In response to the report, the authorities highlight a series of measures taken at Zenica Prison to improve security and reduce violence, such as dividing the prison compound into ten separate areas, converting a disused accommodation block into a high-security unit and recruiting an additional fifty prison staff. 44. The report makes a number of recommendations to improve the provision of health care in prisons, and in respect of matters concerning discipline and complaints. Further, as regards juveniles deprived of their liberty, it is recommended that they be held not in institutions for adults but instead in specially designed facilities. If, exceptionally, juveniles are held in institutions for adults, they must be accommodated separately and offered an appropriate regime; these requirements were not being met in relation to juveniles held at Sarajevo Remand and Zenica Prisons. In their response, the authorities enumerate various measures taken to improve the situation in the light of the recommendations made by the CPT. Particular emphasis is placed on a national strategy for combatting drug abuse, which includes the provision of assistance to prisoners with drug abuse problems. Reference is also made to the introduction of a legal provision to permit juveniles to serve their sentences in a dedicated juvenile facility located in another Entity of the State. 24