Lublin, Szczecin, Warsaw-Grochów or
Warsaw-Mokotów Remand Prisons and
at the three prison hospitals visited.
However, at Bydgoszcz Remand Prison,
the delegation received some isolated
allegations of physical ill-treatment by
custodial staf.
Overcrowding remained a problem in all
the prisons visited. The CPT called upon
the Polish authorities to redouble their
eforts to combat prison overcrowding
by adopting policies designed to limit or
modulate the number of persons sent to
prison. The Committee also called upon
the Polish authorities to revise as soon
as possible the current norms fxed by
legislation for living space per prisoner
(i.e. 3 m²) so that, in all penitentiary establishments, there is at least 4 m² per inmate
in multi-occupancy cells.
In their response, the Polish authorities
state that emphasis has been placed on
non-custodial measures for remand prisoners (such as an electronic monitoring
system) and the development of alternatives to imprisonment. Reference is also
made to measures taken or envisaged to
renovate and expand the Polish prisons.
77. The situation as regards the provision of organised activities for inmates
in the establishments visited was still
generally very unsatisfactory, in particular for remand prisoners. The CPT again
stressed that the aim should be to ensure
that every prisoner is able to spend a
reasonable part of the day (eight hours
or more) outside his/her cell, engaged in
purposeful activities of a varied nature
(work, education, vocational training,
sport, etc.).
78. As regards the so-called “dangerous” (“N” status) prisoners, the CPT welcomed the continued reduction in the
number of such prisoners in recent years.
Further, the quarterly reviews of the “N”
status had become much more meaningful since the 2009 visit. Having said
that, it remains the case that the Polish
authorities should refne the procedure
for allocating a prisoner to “N” status
with a view to ensuring that only those
inmates who pose an ongoing high risk
if accommodated in the mainstream of
the prison population are accorded “N”
status. Further, the Committee called
upon the Polish authorities to fundamentally review the particularly restrictive
regime applied to “N” status prisoners
and develop individual plans aimed at
providing appropriate mental and physical stimulation to such prisoners.
79. The health-care staf complement
was on the whole adequate at Bydgoszcz,
Szczecin and Warsaw-Mokotów Remand
Prisons; however, this was certainly
not the case at Lublin Remand Prison.
Complaints about delays in gaining
access to health care were heard in all
the prisons. In addition, in Bydgoszcz,
both at the Remand Prison and at the
Prison Hospital, as well as at WarsawGrochów Remand Prison, complaints
from prisoners were received about the
quality of the health care provided. In
their response, the Polish authorities
referred to the result of the 2012 audit
carried out by the Supreme Audit Ofce
and concluding that “penitentiary establishments within their budgetary means
have assured prisoners round-the-clock
medical care and access to an immediate
and comprehensive set of health-care
services, despite the increased demand
for such services”.
The Committee was concerned to note
that medical examinations of prisoners
often still took place in the presence of
custodial ofcers. The Polish authorities indicated in their response that
the relevant legal provision allowing for such a presence had been
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