Report on the Performance of Activities of the National Preventive Mechanism for 2017 Capacities of the Office of the Ombudswoman for the performance of NPM tasks In 2017, tasks of the NPM were performed by a total of eight advisors, who also acted on the complaints of persons deprived of liberty, and a new deputy Ombudswoman was appointed. This year, one person was hired at the Department for Persons Deprived of Liberty and NPM in the Split Regional Office, thus strengthening the capacities of the NPM, in accordance with the CAT recommendations. For special activity of the NPM, HRK 138,781.00 were allocated within the Office’s budget from the state budget for 2017, the same as in 2016. The allocation of HRK 153,781.00 is foreseen for 2018, which is 10.8% more than in 2017, not including the expenses for employees. I. RECOMMENDATIONS: Persons deprived of liberty who are in the prison system: 1. To the Ministry of Justice, to adapt accommodation conditions in all penal institutions to comply with legal and international standards; 2. To the Ministry of Justice, to investigate in detail all allegations indicating possible torture and inhuman or degrading treatment, including allegations of verbal abuse and use of excessive force; 3. To the Ministry of Justice, to draft a proposal of the amendments to the Act on Execution of the Prison Sentence and necessary amendments to the Criminal Procedure Act that pertains to execution of remand imprisonment; 4. To the Ministry of Justice, to fill in systematized job positions in penal institutions; 5. To the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Justice, to provide supplemental health insurance for all prisoners who meet the requirements at the expense of the state budget; 6. To the Ministry of Justice, to adapt the space and equipment in the medical facilities of penal institutions to comply with the Ordinance on Minimal Conditions in terms of space, staff and medical and technical equipment of medical institutions that provide health care to persons deprived of liberty; 7. To the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Health, to make proposals for the necessary legislation amendments that would enable healthcare of prisoners to be covered by the public healthcare system; 8. To the Ministry of Justice, to consider the possibility of hiring a maximum number of people on jobs that do not require special qualifications and medical fitness; 9. To the Ministry of Justice, together with the Ministry of Health, to draft guidelines on the basis of which physicians employed within penal institutions could issue opinions regarding the work of prisoners; 48