Implementation of Duties and Powers of the National Preventive Mechanism in 2010 2. Visits to prisons In the framework of exercising the duties and powers of the National Preventive Mechanism (DPM), nine out of fourteen institutions where dislocated internal organisational units of the Prison Administration (UIKS) in the form of prisons (ZPKZ) operated, or their sections and a youth detention centre were visited in 2010: ZPKZ Maribor, Rogoza Open Prison Section, Celje Prison and Juvenile Prison (ZPMZ and KZ Celje), ZPKZ Ljubljana, Ig Open Prison Section, ZPKZ Dob, Puščava Open prison Section, ZPKZ Ljubljana, ZPKZ Maribor, Murska Sobota Section, ZPKZ Ljubljana, Novo mesto Section, ZPKZ Dob pri Mirni and ZPKZ Maribor. ZPKZ Dob, Puščava Open Prison Section, was visited for the first time since it was brought into service as a prison in December 2009. Five of the institutions were visited in the previous year, two in 2008 (ZPMZ and KZ Celje and ZPKZ Ljubljana, Ig Open Prison Section); ZPZK Maribor, Rogoza Open Prison Section was last visited in April 2007. The DPM visited the majority of the institutions, four, in the autumn (ZPKZ Maribor, Murska Sobota Section, on 23 September, ZPKZ Ljubljana, Novo mesto Section, on 21 October, ZPKZ Dob pri Mirni between 23 and 25 November, and ZPKZ Maribor on 1 December). Three were visited in the spring (ZPKZ Ljubljana, Ig Open Prison Section, on 23 March, ZPKZ Dob, Puščava open Prison Section, on 22 April, and ZPKZ Ljubljana on 26 and 27 May) and two in the winter (ZPKZ Maribor, Rogoza Open Prison Section, on 26 January and ZPMZ and KZ Celje on 16 February). With the exception of ZPKZ Ljubljana, Ig Open Prison Section, all institutions were visited in different seasons. The above-mentioned section was visited in the same season as previously, but in considerably different climatic conditions (in the second half of March; the previous visit was performed at the end of May). At least one representative of the contractual non-governmental organisations participated in each visit. PIC and RKS provided representatives for four visits; PIC did not provide a representative in one case, and RKS in four cases. The Primus Institute did not provide representatives for any visit. The contractual expert for health care was involved in three cases, namely for the visits to ZPKZ Ljubljana, ZPKZ Dob pri Mirni and ZPKZ Maribor. Our visits were announced in three cases only where this was reasonable because the visit was planned for several days, or because of expected disruption of the work of the institution due to our presence. The visit to ZPKZ Ljubljana lasted for two and to ZPKZ Dob pri Mirni for three consecutive days. We managed to visit ZPKZ Maribor in one day, the same as the remaining six previously planned institutions. In 2010, the DPM thus spent 12 days on these visits. In total, we visited 1059 imprisoned persons, of whom 764 were convicted and 276 detained; one was an adolescent in juvenile prison, and 18 were in compliance detention. The majority of those imprisoned had the opportunity to speak directly to the members of the inspection group, usually when accommodation was inspected, and some were randomly selected from the list prisoners due to previously filed initiatives to the Ombudsman. Reports on the visits and the main related findings of the DPM are available on the Ombudsman’s official web site; only the key findings are emphasised below. The official capacities of the institutions we visited have not changed significantly since the previous visit, with the exception of ZPKZ Dob pri Mirni, which has 17 places due to the new Puščava Open Prison Section. This is also partially true for ZPKZ Ljubljana, Ig Open Prison Section, where the room previously used for compliance detention is now again used for convicted persons, and also for ZPKZ Maribor, where male convicts were accommodated in rooms previously intended for females. With regard to obtaining new capacities, it is encouraging that two new objects are expected to be built in ZPKZ Dob pri Mirni within the closed section complex, and that convicts are expected to be accommodated there in the first half of 2011 (a total capacity of 174 places is planned). National Preventive Mechanism in the Republic of Slovenia under the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment 11