physical environment and living conditions, and cut down the staff. The sleeping quarters had been renovated, all doors and window frames had been replaced, and the inmates had been issued new mattresses and bedding. Each room contained private sanitary facilities and a TV set. The refectory had also been given a complete overhaul. Overcrowding was not among the NPM inspection findings. The reformatory can accommodate three hundred and forty-eight inmates at capacity, while the number of boys housed was forty-three. The competent authorities, in this particular case the MoJ and the DGEP, had taken into consideration the Ombudsman’s recommendation regarding the reformatory’s location. Discussions had been initiated on the feasibility of moving it to new premises within the city of Vratsa. 1.2. The NPM did not observe any change as regards feeding arrangements and the nutritional value of meals. The food was unvaried, and the intake of fresh fruits, vegetables, and dairy products was Insufficient. 1.3. The NPM team found out that the number of juvenile inmates engaged in work activities averaged six to eight. The boys were engaged also in voluntary work related mainly to improving grassy lawns and recreational areas. 1.4. Medical care is provided at the healthcare centre. The centre’s physical environment and equipment appeared to be unchanged since the previous inspection. The position of full-time physician and healthcare centre manager had remained vacant and at the time of the inspection the managerial functions were performed by the assistant medical officer. A parttime psychiatrist and a dentist also attend the medical centre twice weekly under arrangements with the NHIF. Orderly duties are performed by inmates in the form of voluntary work. All inmates are registered with a GP practice. The GP visits the reformatory infrequently and his functions are performed by the medical staff at the centre. An intake health screening is performed on all newly admitted inmates and individual medical records are also created. Outpatient examinations of inmates are performed according to a schedule drawn up by the warden. In most cases a prison officer will also be in attendance. Prescription medicines reimbursable by the NHIF are procured from a pharmacy in the nearby city by a designated employee. Medications for emergency assistance, as well as for use at the infirmary, are dispensed from the reformatory’s dispensary. Mental illness medications are administered by a guard and are taken by the inmates in his presence. The reformatory's administration had failed to implement the recommendations made by the NPM during the previous inspection that adolescent substance abuse treatment programs should be introduced and a register of inmates with mental disorders should be kept. 1.5. The juvenile inmates are schooled on the premises. The prison school offers all grades up to grade 12. Despite the prison administration’s efforts, the problem of social abandonment and high illiteracy rates among the juvenile inmates remains acute and unresolved. Inmates are not provided vocational training per se. Some children are enrolled in cooking and construction courses, basic computer literacy courses, a literacy course, etc. 1.6. The share of inmates who became parole eligible in 2015 and were recommended for early release on parole or for a commutation of sentence remained relatively low. No parole eligible inmates were recommended for early release in 2013 and 2014. Analysis of punishments meted out in 2014 shows an increase in the total number of punishments (a hundred and seventy-nine in 2014 compared to a hundred and nine in 2013). The most frequently imposed punishment is extra cleaning duties, followed by 3 to 5 days solitary confinement. THE PRISON IN THE CITY OF VRATSA 1.1. The prison in the city of Vratsa is among the penitentiaries where housing and living conditions are good. Nonetheless, the NPM observed overcrowding in the prison cellhouse 38