and dampness inside were intolerable. The size of the cells was such that delegation members could hardly believe that 67 prisoners were spending nights and days inside. The toilets inside, as well as the shower cubicles, gave off nauseating smells although they were reportedly cleaned on a daily basis. Only 5 out of the 10 cells had windows bringing fresh air from outside. to make sure that petty offendeis are not sent to court but are rather dealt with inside the community through mediation for instance. The Special Rapporteur is also appealing to relevant authorities to make sure that young people are not unfairly detained far from their families without any possibility to pursue education and prepare for a constructive future. Prisoners complained that they were not allowed to go outside every day and when they were, they could stay barely one hour. Cell doors weie closed after dinner. Detention of young people At the end of the visit, it was recommended that disinfectant be poured on a daily basis into the toilets and as many windows as necessary opened to allow sufficient flesh air in. Another immediate action needed is to increase the height of the wall to improve security so that prisoners can be allowed to go outside more often and longer. Officers assured the delegation this would be done. Police cells visited in Tete town (Second and Third "Escuadias") were not fit for human habitation. They needed to be at least disinfected and cleaned and have ventilation and lighting improved. Fighting crime operation A s mentioned by Dr. Edmundo Carlos Alberto, Deputy Attorney General, it would be unfair and unethical to say that a sentence is not the right one. However, the Special Rapporteur would like to draw the attention of the Attorney General's orrice to the fate of the 51 young people detained in Mabalane who alleged that they were arrested and sentenced to three years imprisonment for not being able to produce identity cards. These 51 persons are part of a wider group of people who have been and are being arrested in the course of the operations to fight criminality in Maputo, in particular. Some of them explained that at the time of their arrest, they were students, had jobs, a place to stay and were not vagrants at all. The Special Rapporteur noticed as well the rise in the number of cases dealt with by some police in some regions outside Maputo. In Tete town police stations for instance, the number of cases almost doubled in two years time (283 cases in 1999, 480 in 2000)1. The Special Rapporteur would like to draw the attention of relevant authorities to this situation and invite them to enquire into it and take all necessary actions T here is normally no juvenile under the age of 16 in Mozambican prisons. However, the delegation was informed that Commissions to strengthen thiy had found and released many young people under this age. The delegation net with young people who alleged that they were under 16 (and the doctor continued that they were very young) but did not have any moor of age. The delegation was also informed that sonic young people weie detained for very petty offences after their families had decided to send them to prison hoping that this would help reform them. This ignores the fact that pi isons today are more schools of criminality rather than places of rehabilitation. Young offenders are, most of the time, detained together with adults and convicted criminals. Rather than a place of reform, this is more likely to lead to abuse by adults and further criminalisation of the young prisoners. The Special Rapporteur would like to appeal to the relevant authorities and civil society so that diversion, family mediation and specialised institutions are developed in Mozambique to improve the rehabilitation of young offenders while caring for the interests of victims. Detention of women T he Special Rapporteur could not visit Maputo Women's Prison where 16 women were detained but did visit Maputo Civil Prison's women section (37 women) and visited women detained in prisons outside Maputo. The Special Rapporteur found that in Moatize District Prison, 5 women were detained in difficult conditions, held together with men under the supervision of a negligent prison director. A nine months pregnant woman had been detained since December 2000 and needed to be sent to hospital. Another woman who had been in detention for over 2 years showed unmistakable signs of depression but had never been seen by a psychiatrist 4. Source statistics mailable at the pollee station 30 31