E/CN.4/2001/66/Add.2 page 23 At the invitation of the authorities, the Special Rapporteur visited on 29 August the Instituto Padre Severino where 193 minors, aged 14-18, were detained in a facility with an official capacity of 160. The Director said that there were only seven guards per shift which, he pointed out, made keeping order difficult. The majority of the minors held in this institution were said to be awaiting trial or sentencing. Padre Severino is supposed to be a pre-trial juvenile detention centre and to be used as a place where minors are detained up to 45 days (see below) before being transferred to other DEGASE institutions, if necessary. The Director nevertheless recognized that 40 per cent of the detainees were actually serving sentences. The Director said that 90 per cent of the minors held at that time had access to education, at the same time admitting that only sentenced juveniles had access to educational and recreational activities. During his visit, the Special Rapporteur saw some youths taking lessons in different classrooms while three were working on sewing machines in a workshop. According to non-governmental organizations which visit juvenile detention centres on a regular basis, and as later confirmed by the minors interviewed, this was the very first time that such classes were taking place in Padre Severino. 63. Cells are divided between two wings separated by a large courtyard in which minors were playing at the time of the visit of the Special Rapporteur. The cells all contained cement beds. In some cells, all the beds were covered with thin foam mattresses while in other cells most beds did not have a mattress. The Director assured the Special Rapporteur that all detainees, even the 33 who have to sleep on the floor because of the overcrowding, had a mattress at night. Detainees confirmed that only a small number of them did not have mattresses. A few dirty blankets were also shown to the Special Rapporteur. Toilets and showers were generally separated from the dormitory by a wall. All the cells had recently been cleaned (according to detainees, they were cleaned once a week), but in some, there was a strong smell from the toilets. The water system, including the flushing of the toilets, was said to be controlled from outside the cells by guards. Cells did not contain any light since, as was explained by the Director, the inmates used the sockets to light cigarettes, which was potentially dangerous. All cells were well ventilated by numerous openings in the walls. Detainees complained that at night, cells could sometimes become very cold but it was forbidden to plug the openings, for example with newspapers. One minor had allegedly been slapped on the face and grabbed by the neck by a guard as punishment for having tried to plug up the openings a few nights before the visit of the Special Rapporteur. At the time of the interview (29 August), marks, in particular a haematoma the size of a hand, as well as some scratches on the neck, consistent with his allegations were still visible on the face of the minor concerned. 64. Minors were said to be in the yard most of the day, from 5.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m.. Only visits from their parents were said to be allowed, on Sundays. A number of the older youths complained about the fact that their wives and children were not allowed to visit them. A large number of the minors complained of having been beaten and slapped on the face by guards, allegedly because of attempted escape, fights between inmates or non-respect of the internal disciplinary rules, in particular the rule of silence at night which was said to include a prohibition on using the toilet. It was alleged that guards often asked them on which parts of the body they would prefer to be beaten. Some still bore marks, mainly haematomas on the head/face, shoulders and back, and also more serious injuries, such as open wounds, consistent with their allegations (see annex). Some were said to have recently been threatened with a gun by some of