more developed range of alternative
measures to detention. Further, an
account is given of the measures taken
in order to improve the level of hygiene
at Palermo-Ucciardone Prison as well as
to reduce the in-cell occupancy rate at
Bari Prison.
to the impossibility of creating alternative
mental health structures at the regional
level) which have resulted in the postponement of the closure of the OPGs
and the delay of the planned transfer
of forensic psychiatric patients to new
facilities at the regional level.
As had been the case in previous visits
to Italy, the CPT paid particular attention
to the situation of prisoners subjected
to the special detention regime under
section “41-bis” of the Penitentiary Act.
The Committee analysed the additional
restrictions imposed on these prisoners since 2009, notably the additional
curtailment of visit entitlements. It concluded that rather than combatting more
efectively the phenomenon of organised
crime, there were reasons to believe that
such restrictions could be considered as
a tool to increase pressure on the prisoners concerned in order to induce them
to co-operate with the justice system.
Report and response
published in November 2013,
CPT/Inf (2013) 32 and CPT/Inf (2013) 33
In their response, the Italian authorities
state that consideration might be given
to amending part of the above-mentioned restrictions, particularly in relation
to the contacts with the outside world for
prisoners subject to the “41-bis” regime.
66. The report notes that the situation in the Judicial Psychiatric Hospitals
(OPGs) had not improved since the CPT’s
visit in 2008. In particular, low healthcare stafng levels were observed at
Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto OPG, where
the number of psychiatrists and nurses
was clearly insufcient for the needs of
the psychiatric hospital. Other defciencies included the lack of individualised
treatment programmes for patients and
of a thorough inquiry into the death of
every psychiatric patient at that OPG.
The Italian authorities refer in their
response to the obstacles and organisational constraints (related in particular
General Report of the CPT, 2013-2014 ► Page 34
Report on the ad hoc visit
to Latvia in September 2013
and response of the Latvian
authorities
(conditions of detention in police establishments and the situation in prisons,
with a particular focus on the regime for
life-sentenced prisoners and the provision
of health care)
67. The CPT’s delegation carried out
follow-up visits to the police detention
facilities in Dobele, Jēkabpils, Jelgava
and Saldus; these establishments displayed major defciencies in terms of
material conditions at the time of the
Committee’s 2011 periodic visit. The
delegation noted that, with the exception of Jēkabpils Police Detention Facility
where the situation had clearly improved,
the general conditions of detention in
the above-mentioned establishments
had not improved (e.g. dilapidated and
dirty cells, limited or no access to natural
light, dim artifcial lighting, inadequate
ventilation, etc.). In contrast, the delegation observed excellent material conditions in the new police detention facility
in Daugavpils; as stated in the report,
this establishment could well serve as a
model for other police detention facilities in Latvia. The report also highlights
that many persons remanded in custody
by a court are held in police establishments for extended periods of time (up to
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