criminal sanctions Visitors • The duration of supervised visits in the prison was 30 minutes, whereas in other prisons the duration varies from 40 to 60 minutes. According to the prison director, the duration of visits could not be prolonged. The Deputy-Ombudsman noted that visitors arriving to see a prisoner may be travelling far, so the duration of the visit was obviously of great importance. The visits cannot be too short, although there are no regulations on the minimum length of a visit. According to the report received from the prison following the inspection visit, the utilisation rate of the visitor centre varied so that there were often free slots during the morning visiting hours. In the Deputy-Ombudsman’s view, this should give the prison the flexibility to prolong visiting hours where possible. The Deputy-Ombudsman stated that there were no grounds for the exceptionally short visiting times adopted in the prison, especially since the practice differed from that of any other prison. Facilities for child visitors • The room for supervised visits was long and narrow, with a long table divided by plexiglass in the middle and chairs as the only furnishings. There was also a small cabinet with children’s toys, but otherwise child visitors were not catered for in the furnishings. Under the Imprisonment Act and the Remand Imprisonment Act, the supervised visits of a child must be organised in rooms intended for the purpose, and suitable facilities for the visits must be provided in closed prisons. According to the Deputy-Ombudsman, the room for supervised visits did not meet the criteria laid down in the law regarding visitor facilities for child visitors. The Deputy-Ombudsman recommended that a more comfortable room that resembles a normal room be provided for child visitors. Follow-up: The prison responded that the visitor room had been repainted and fitted with sound insulation panels. More suitable furniture has also been ordered for the room. 43