Annual Report 2012: Spain’s National Preventive Mechanism following analysis of the descriptions of the injuries recorded in the medical re­ cords, it was concluded that the type, form, size, exact locations and other fea­ tures of the injuries should be described more accurately in order to allow the cause to be determined. Furthermore, in the majority of the prisons inspected it was noted that the reports of injuries do not describe how the inmate explained the manner in which the injuries were caused, making it impossible to compare the inmate’s statements with the doctor’s observations. The Ombudsman Institu­ tion has informed the SGIP and the Department of Justice of the Government of Catalonia that these deficiencies must be corrected. No specific testimony of mistreatment was recorded in the interviews of inmates Inmates declared that some members of the prison staff are less respectful than others 116. During the interviews of inmates at the prisons inspected, no specific testi­ mony of mistreatment by prison staff was recorded, which could have led to tak­ ing actions with the European Gendarmerie Force (EGF) and the Public Admin­ istration. Moreover, in the course of the interviews inmates were asked about the way the prison staff treated them. The answers varied and did not allow inferring certain patterns of behavior in the prisons, although in general terms the techni­ cal team (psychologists, social workers, etc.) is the one that is best valued. Even though the majority of the inmates interviewed did not express major complaints, some made the following comments: An inmate at the prison of A Lama (Pontevedra) stated that he had not felt ver­ bally or physically abused by anyone at the prison, although he declared that some of the staff was less respectful regarding inmates’ rights, adding that: «I have never complained because I couldn’t be bothered». Another inmate stated he had felt verbally abused on some occasions by members of the prison staff, but that «I‘ve never complained because I’m afraid of the consequences because I’m classified as first degree». At the Araba/Alava prison, an inmate declared that there were some staff mem­ bers who were not respectful of inmates’ rights: «Some staff members go too far and the head of service has to tell them to stop», and that the inmates had very little relations with the staff: «Here we don’t have any contact with the staff, they stay in the bunker». He also declared that «for the sake of filling out reports, it’s normal for the prison staff to claim that inmates do not speak to them properly». Two first degree inmates interviewed at that prison, who had been transferred there from their prisons of origin due to extraordinary leave, complained of rub­ down searches performed on their relatives when the latter came to visit («these are additional measures of punishment for the family»»), although they acknowl­ edged that the situation had improved in the last few years. At the Murcia II prison, an inmate in the respect module stated the following: «The only problem is that they give you negative points for something that hap­ pens in the court yard, issues regarding cleanliness or something like that» and they are not informed, so that when they accumulate a specific number of nega­ tive points they are punished. She pointed out that inmates had informed the educator so the latter could take some action in that respect. 98 THE OMBUDSMAN OF SPAIN

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