X)  Prison visits X) Prison visits In par. 24.1 the EPR recommend that convicts should have the opportunity to communicate with their families, other persons and representatives of external organisations as frequently as possible in writing, by telephone or using other means of communication, and to receive these persons as visitors. Any limitations and checks imposed on communication and visits must pursue a legitimate objective (order, security, etc.) and must be commensurate to that objective (acceptable minimum level of contact). Under Section 19 (1) of the Imprisonment Act, convicts have the right to receive their relatives as visitors for three hours per calendar month. The EPR impose the duty on the Prison Service to assist convicts in maintaining sufficient contacts with the outside world. 127 In his report from the visits to prisons in December 2006, my predecessor concluded that maintaining and providing support for family relationships, partnerships and other social relationships was an integral part of a convict’s rehabilitation. The importance of contacts with the family is very often stressed in professional literature on prisons. 128 An additional argument, one which is contained in most international human rights documents, is the right to a family life. 129 The most frequent objections of convicts during the systematic visits were directed against assignment to a prison which was located far away from the home of the convict’s relatives. Distance plays an important role in deciding whether and when to visit the prison. 130 Therefore, I welcomed that, during the systematic visits, the Prison Service accepted my predecessor’s proposal 131 for establishing a transparent system of relocating convicts. Until then, when a convict’s application for relocation was declined e.g. due to a lack of capacity, the Prison Service would not revisit the application even if a place was vacated in the target (desired) prison. Effective from 15 October 2015, applications for relocation are kept in files chronologically in every prison; when a place becomes vacant in the target prison, the applicant (convict) is asked whether he still insists on the application and is relocated when there are no security reasons that would prevent this. 132 127 128 support for family relations is part of convicts’ rehabilitation Par. 24.5 EPR. COYLE, Andrew. A Human Rights Approach to Prison Management: Handbook for Prison Staff. London: International Centre for Prison Studies, 2002, p. 9. 129 Cf., for example, Art. 12 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Art. 23 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Art. 8 of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. 130 Many family members of convicts have scarce means of subsistence for their households, which makes travelling across the country a serious complication. 131 MOTEJL, Otakar et al. Vězeňství (Prisons). Prague: Wolters Kluwer ČR, 2010, pp. 57-58. 132 Bližší úpravu stanoví NGŘ č. 42/2015. /47/