Long-term Deprivation of Liberty
Even though there is no therapeutic unit at the «Las Palmeras» center, on the day
of the inspection visit there were two adolescents in therapeutic regime custody
for mental health, and there were two other minors in custody undergoing psy
chiatric treatment. The two in therapeutic custody were from «Teresa de Calcuta»
center, and thus had been referred with prior psychiatric assessment and phar
macological treatments. Even though no one explained to the center’s psycholo
gist the reason for the transfers to «Las Palmeras», she thought that it was due to
its proximity to their school and workplace respectively. Moreover, the psychia
trist on the inspection team noted that in the files that were reviewed, the reports
submitted on admissions of a minor were the ones drafted by the public prosecu
tor’s office for juveniles, but that the contents thereof were not sufficient to estab
lish a clinical diagnosis. On many occasions the information provided verbally
by the families is the only source of knowledge regarding pharmacological treat
ments. In consequence, it would be advisable to have access to more detailed
prior information regarding the minors in custody, in particular in connection to
reports from the mental health team that treated them.
At the “Las Palmeras”
161. Without prejudice to the aspects that are the subject of criticism and which
are highlighted to the centers for juvenile offenders for the purpose of correcting
deficiencies, the work they perform during the custody of these minors is note
worthy. However, this work is not continued after the minors are released, mak
ing their reinsertion much more difficult. In this respect, it would be beneficial to
have some type of residential resource (like the supervised apartments) for those
who leave the center, turn18 and cannot go back home, as noted at the «Las Palm
eras» center.
There should be residential
162. Moreover, in addition to minors with mental health or drug addiction
problems the situation of minors with intellectual disabilities is delicate, given
that they cannot integrate in the center’s activity or in the psychological and edu
cational support programs with the same capacity that the other minors in cus
tody have, as noted at the «Teresa de Calcuta» center. It is thus necessary to look
into the need of having centers with a specific unit for juvenile offenders with
mild-moderate intellectual disability geared at attending to the specific needs of
this group of offenders in custody.
There should be specific
163. All the centers for juvenile offenders guarantee the right to receive obliga
tory education and for this purpose have state-approved schooling and training
programs, as well as academic support. At the «Zambrana» center, training for
minors in custody is supplemented with pre-employment and occupational
training workshops in carpentry, autos and mechanics, gardening, computing,
woodwork and masonry, and at the «Teresa de Calcuta» center, in bread making,
automobiles, outdoor cleaning, woodturning, graphic design, printing and book
binding, industrial mechanics, gardening and masonry.
At the “Zambrana” center
THE OMBUDSMAN OF SPAIN
center, even though there is
no therapeutic unit, there
were two adolescents in
therapeutic custody for
mental health problems
resources to facilitate the
reinsertion of minors once
they leave the centers and
turn 18
units for juvenile offenders
with mild-moderate
intellectual disabilities
obligatory schooling is
supplemented with pre
employment and
occupational workshops
127
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