on Civil Service applies to them. Officers and privates of the special penitentiary service are the personnel of security, legal regime and special registration units. Due to the fact that penitentiary establishments had been a part of a military system for years, the management of which was based on the punitive and strict regime concept, according to perceptions formed in the public over years, working in a penitentiary establishment was not prestigious. The Public Defender positively assesses the division of civil and penitentiary services as a step forward. Against the existing background, the Public Defender deems it necessary that the Ministry of Corrections should actively pursue the policy of recruiting new staff. This should imply actively informing the public about job openings at penitentiary establishments and working conditions in prisons. The Public Defender observes that active dissemination of information about the working conditions in prisons will promote the public’s interest in the penitentiary system and attract potential human resources. In parallel to attracting and recruiting professional resources, it is important that the establishments should maintain the existing well-qualified resources. Salaries should be adequate to attract and retain suitable men and women and working conditions should be favourable to remunerate hard and labour-consuming work.100 The monitoring carried out by the Special Preventive Group revealed that the health-care personnel of the penitentiary establishments do not have medical insurance. The working conditions of on-duty doctors and nurses are quite hard as they have to work busy night shifts. Paramedics attending to serious patients and doing hard work receive low remuneration. Psychologists and social workers face hard working conditions in the penitentiary establishments. Considering the high demand for psychologists and social workers and the volume of work they perform in penitentiary establishments, it is important to take additional measures for recruiting adequate human resources.101 Most of the penitentiary establishments are located outside the city. The personnel, however, are not provided with transportation; appropriate meals for staff are not provided in these establishments. Therefore, the personnel have to buy mostly dry food from these establishments’ shops at their own expenses. Despite stressful and strained working environment, the personnel of penitentiary establishments do not benefit from advice as to how to avert professional burnout. There are no training sessions on stress management for staff. Under the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, each State Party shall ensure that education and information regarding the prohibition against torture are fully included in the training of law enforcement personnel, civil or military, medical personnel, public officials and other persons who may be involved in the custody, interrogation or treatment of any individual subjected to any 100 The United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (the Nelson Mandela Rules), Rule 74.3. 101 Further details see in subchapter – Daily Schedule and Rehabilitation Activities. NATIONAL PREVENTIVE MECHANISM (NPM), 2016 61