EN_CPT_AR.book Page 29 Monday, October 25, 2010 5:14 PM Publication of CPT visit reports 54. The number of remand prisoners in Montenegro had increased by 40% since 2004 (when the CPT carried out a visit to the State of Serbia and Montenegro) and the CPT's delegation found alarming levels of overcrowding at the Remand Prison, which is part of the Spuž Prison Complex near Podgorica. The poor material conditions in which remand prisoners were being held were exacerbated by the fact that remand prisoners remained for 23 hours or more a day inside their cells, in some cases for several years. The Committee has recommended that plans to amend the Code of Criminal Procedure be accorded a high priority, and that the aim be to shorten the length of court proceedings in criminal cases and to circumscribe more closely the circumstances in which recourse can be had to the preventive measure of remand in custody. 55. The majority of patients at the Dobrota Special Psychiatric Hospital spoke positively about the attitude of the staff and the atmosphere was relaxed. However, in the hospital’s forensic psychiatric unit, the CPT’s delegation heard a number of allegations of physical ill-treatment of patients by private security guards. In their response, the Montenegrin authorities indicate that they have established a protocol defining the rights and responsibilities of the security service and that special training is being provided to security staff. As regards patients’ living conditions at the Hospital, the delegation found that action had been taken to address many of the shortcomings highlighted in the report on the CPT's 2004 visit to that establishment; most of the wards had been refurbished, large-capacity dormitories had been replaced by smaller structures, the sanitary facilities had been improved, and the dining room had been reconstructed. 56. At the Komanski Most Institution for People with Special Needs, the CPT's delegation found that the extremely low number of staff was at the core of the Institution’s inability to provide adequate protection, care, hygiene and regime for the residents. Material conditions were appalling, and residents were found fixated to beds or other furniture, mostly with torn strips of cloth but also by chains and padlocks. In the report, the Committee calls upon the Montenegrin authorities to carry out a comprehensive review of the situation and draw up a detailed action plan for reforming the Institution. In their response, the Montenegrin authorities refer to the recruitment of additional staff, the separation of children from adult residents, and measures to improve the hygiene and to provide better living conditions for residents. Report and response published March 2010, CPT/Inf (2010) 3 and CPT/Inf (2010) 4 29