declared unconstitutional by the Polish
Constitutional Court in February 2014,
and that the legislation would subsequently be amended.
80. The CPT also visited the Warsaw
sobering-up centre, which made a positive impression on the delegation.
Report and response published in June 2014,
CPT/Inf (2014) 21 and CPT/Inf (2013) 22
Report on the ad hoc visit
to Portugal in May 2013 and
response of the Portuguese
authorities
(situation at Lisbon Central Prison, investigations into alleged ill-treatment)
81. The CPT’s delegation found that
the situation at Lisbon Central Prison,
in terms of both material conditions
and the treatment of inmates by prison
staf, had not improved in the 15 months
since the February 2012 periodic visit to
Portugal. Lisbon Central Prison continued
to be afected by chronic overcrowding
of almost 150% and very poor material
conditions; damp cells, crumbling plaster, broken windows, a lack of artifcial
lighting and dilapidated mattresses were
evident in most of the basement areas
of the prison. The CPT comments that
such conditions could be considered as
amounting to inhuman and degrading
treatment. The report recommends that
strong action be taken to renovate the
diferent wings, starting with the basement units. The Committee also recommends that the Portuguese authorities
vigorously pursue their eforts to combat
prison overcrowding, by placing further
emphasis on non-custodial measures in
the period before the imposition of a sentence, increasing the use of alternatives
to imprisonment and adopting measures
facilitating the reintegration into society
of persons deprived of their liberty.
General Report of the CPT, 2013-2014 ► Page 40
The report also refers to a number of credible allegations of ill-treatment of inmates
by prison ofcers at Lisbon Central Prison
and the CPT reiterates the importance of
undertaking efective investigations into
such allegations. Moreover, inter-prisoner
violence was a serious issue on certain
wings of the prison. Recommendations
are made to improve the recording of
physical injuries observed upon admission to the establishment or following
a violent incident inside the prison and
also to increase stafng levels.
Further, as regards the small numbers of
juveniles held at Lisbon Central Prison,
the CPT found that their safety was at
risk in view of the level of violence in the
prison and that they were not provided
with purposeful activities or appropriate
support. The report recommends that
the juveniles be transferred to another
establishment ofering both an appropriate environment and a tailor-made
regime. In their response, the Portuguese
authorities concur with the CPT’s concerns and afrm their policy to keep
juveniles separate from adult ofenders
and in institutions close to their social
and cultural background. Reference is
made to a pilot project in three prisons.
As regards activities for prisoners at
Lisbon Central Prison, almost 900 out
of 1310 prisoners were not involved in
any work or educational activities at the
time of the visit. Moreover, educational
activities were reserved for sentenced
prisoners and registration for the different courses was only possible at the
beginning of the academic year (i.e.
September).
In their response, the Portuguese authorities refer to the steps being taken to
expand the application of alternative
measures to imprisonment and to the
ongoing investment to improve prison
conditions at Lisbon Central Prison.
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