Report of the Commissioner for Human Rights on the activities of the National Mechanism for the Prevention of Torture in Poland in 2017
Methodology
The National Mechanism for the Prevention of Torture may visit all places of deprivation
of liberty in Poland, that is such establishments in which detainees are placed pursuant to a
public authority order, its insistence, consent or acquiescence (national, local government,
private).
There are over 3000 places of detention in Poland
The National Mechanism for the Prevention of Torture carries out preventive visits which do
not result from complaints. Such visits are unannounced.
During visits, Mechanism’s representatives may record sound, with the consent of individuals
who are going to be recorded, as well as hold meetings with persons deprived of their liberty
without the presence of other parties and meet individuals who, at their discretion, may provide significant information (Article 13(1a) of the Act on the CHR).
Preventive and unannounced visits of the NMPT
In all the establishments visited, the NMPT follows the same methodology. The first stage is
to establish the composition of the visiting team.
The visiting team consists of several persons, with one person performing the role of the coordinator who is responsible for drawing up a visit report. Two persons, including the team
coordinator, inspect the premises and buildings of the establishment, while others conduct
individual conversations with persons deprived of their liberty. External experts participating
in visits prepare expert opinions which are incorporated in the visit report.
The duration of a specific visit depends on the size of the visited establishment and the problems encountered there, and usually lasts 1 to 3 days.
Every visit of the NMPT comprises the following stages:
conversation with the establishment’s managers,
VII Regional Debate, 12.04 Białystok - prof. Grażyna Barbara Szczygieł (University of Bialystok), speech: Situation of prisoners in penitentiary establishments; VIII Regional Debate, 10.05 Rzeszów - Maria Książak, President of the Board of the International Humanitarian Initiative Foundation, speech:
Psychological care provided to foreigners in closed detention centres for migrants ; IX Regional Debate, 14.09 Zielona Góra - Jerzy Foerster, MD, geriatrist,
speech: Nursing and medical care provided to residents of social care homes; XI Regional Debate, 25.10 Kraków - Marzena Ksel, Ph.D., Vice-President
of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT), speech: The goals and results of the application of the Istanbul Protocol; XII Regional
Debate, 15.11 Bydgoszcz - prof. Zbigniew Lasocik (Faculty of Political Science and International Studies of the Warsaw University), speech: Current
challenges in the field of torture prevention in the light of the activity of the UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT).
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