The latter, however, stole the lottery ticket and claimed the prize of BGN 100,000. Other
children and juveniles were interviewed and they corroborated the boy’s story as to who had
bought the scratchcard and who had scratched it off. The NPM team could not interview the
school supervisor as he was off work on sick leave. It was established during the inspection that
the police had been notified of the case, and at the time of the inspection police officers were
questioning some of the boys. The NPM is of the opinion that it is unreasonable to expect
positive outcomes from correctional education work with boarding school offenders when staff
members in these institutions overstep the rules and infringe upon the rights and interest of the
children with such dishonest acts. The NPM would appreciate receiving further information on
the progress of the investigation from the police in the town of Zavet or from the competent
prosecutor’s office.
In the course of the inspection, the team carried out a random review of inmate students'
personal files. Some of the files were found to be incomplete. Some needs assessment reports
were missing and some case plans had not been updated.
The NPM team reviewed also the anti-bullying and harassment register and found that it
contained no entries. The boarding school administration was not aware which incidents should
be investigated, documented and entered in the Register.
A complaint box was nowhere to be found either. Reports of alleged harassment, intimidation,
or bullying incidents are made to a teacher or to a school supervisor, or to the boarding school
principal orally and are not subsequently recorded in writing.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Students suffering from chronic diseases or disabilities should be referred to a WCAB for
sickness or disability certification;
The medical and psychological evaluation of children with psychiatric and somatic
disorders provided for in Article 17, para 3, item 2 of the Rules and Regulations on the
Setup and Operations of Correctional Boarding Schools and Social and Pedagogical
Boarding Schools should be performed prior to their institutionalization;
The CBS administration should take actions to ensure heating is provided throughout the
day and night;
Access to showers and instantly hot water should be more frequent;
The practice of video surveillance in students’ bedrooms should be discontinued and the
cameras should be removed;
Ensure sufficient daily intake of fresh fruits, vegetables, eggs, and dairy products;
The administration should provide psychological support in all cases and forms of child
aggression;
Carry out minuted mentoring discussions with all children involved in incidents related to
physical or psychological violence;
Students’ files and records should be regularly updated;
A complaint box should be placed in a conspicuous location;
The practice of allowing children to engage in paid work outside the institution without
professional supervision should be discontinued;
The NPM would like to receive further information regarding the investigation into the
stolen lottery ticket case.
53
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