Implementation of the Duties and Powers of the National Preventive Mechanism in 2012 Visits to prisons, a juvenile prison and a youth detention centre In exercising the duties and powers of the NPM, nine out of the total of fourteen locations where independent internal organisational units of the Prison Administration of the Republic of Slovenia operate (hereinafter referred to as “PARS”) were visited in 2012. These are prisons or their sub-divisions and a correctional facility: Novo mesto Unit of Ljubljana Prison, Maribor Prison, Ig Open Unit of Ljubljana Prison, Dob pri Mirni Prison – Closed Unit, Koper Prison, Nova Gorica Unit of Koper Prison, Radeče Correctional Facility, Celje Prison and Juvenile Prison and Ljubljana Prison. Prior to making these visits, we visited six locations a year before (Ig Open Unit of Ljubljana Prison, Koper Prison, Nova Gorica Unit, Radeče Correctional Facility, Celje Prison and Juvenile Prison and Ljubljana Prison) and the following three were visited in the previous year: Novo mesto Unit of Ljubljana Prison, Maribor Prison and Dob pri Mirni Prison - Closed Unit. Over the year of 2012, three of the above mentioned locations where persons are deprived of their liberty were visited by the NPM in spring (Ig Open Unit of Ljubljana Prison on 20th March, Dob pri Mirni Prison - Closed Unit on 23rd and 24th April and Koper Prison on 15th May), and as many in winter (Novo mesto Unit of Ljubljana Prison on 31st January, Maribor Prison on 28th and 29th February and Ljubljana Prison on 12th December), two were visited in the autumn (Radeče Correctional Facility on 23rd October and Celje Prison and Juvenile Prison on 13th November), while one facility, as opposed to the last year, also in the summer (Nova Gorica Unit of Koper Prison on 19th June). With the exception of Maribor Prison, all locations were visited during a different season than when the last visit took place. During all of the above mentioned visits, not only did one representative of the Ombudsman’s Office take part during the visit, but there were two who participated in six visits (Novo Mesto Units of Ljubljana Prison, Maribor Prison, Ig Open Unit of Ljubljana Prison, Koper Prison, Nova Gorica Unit of Koper Prison and Radeče Correctional Facility), three in one visit (Ljubljana Prison), and four in two visits (Dob pri Mirni Prison and Celje Prison and Juvenile Prison). In addition, there were three representatives of NGOs who took part in three of these visits (Maribor Prison, Dob pri Mirni Prison and Ljubljana Prison), two in four visits (Ig Open Unit of Ljubljana Prison, Koper Prison, Nova Gorica Unit of Koper Prison and Radeče Correctional Facility), and one NGO representative in two visits (Novo mesto Unit of Ljubljana Prison, Celje Prison and Juvenile Prison). The expert under contract responsible for the field of health care participated in five visits, specifically, when visiting Maribor Prison, Dob pri Mirni Prison, Koper Prison, Celje Prison and Juvenile Prison and Ljubljana Prison. In two thirds of these locations, visits were not announced, and in three cases, they were announced beforehand (in cases of Maribor Prison, Dob pri Mirni Prison and Celje Prison and Juvenile Prison). Three visits were carried out in two days (Maribor Prison, Dob pri Mirni Prison and Ljubljana Prison), whilst the remaining ones lasted for one day. All visits included an introductory interview with the management officers of the institution, an inspection of premises and interviews with prisoners as well as personnel, an inspection of documentation and a concluding session. The NPM dedicated one additional day for visiting all such places of incarceration as were visited in 2011, in total 12 days were committed to it. At the time of the visits, there were out of a total of 1160 prisoners held, there were 845 convicted persons (including young persons in the correctional facility), 291 detainees and 24 persons in compliance detention. Reports on individual visits and main findings made by the NPM in this regard have been published on the Ombudsman’s official web site (although only some in English), whilst only the most important circumstances discovered by the NPM in 2012 related to this field have been pointed out in this Report. National Preventive Mechanism in the Republic of Slovenia under the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment 15