unannounced and carried out during working days, with the exception of three visits that were
conducted during a public holiday. A minimum of three and a maximum of seven persons
participated in each visit.
In the light of experiences from previous visits, we have, together with representatives of
associations and academic community within the NPM, agreed on a new methodology for
preparing and conducting visits and drafting a final report on the visit, which significantly
contributes to the efficiency of performing NPM activities.
Visits to establishments under the authority of the Ministry of Justice
a) Turopolje Correctional Institute
A specific problem of Turopolje Correctional Institute is its poor transport connections. The
Institute may not be reached by means of public transport, but only by personal vehicles,
which makes contacts between beneficiaries and their parents more difficult.
Although it was established during the visit that the Institute is not overcrowded, the
accommodation conditions are far below international and legal standards, particularly when
taking into account the purpose of this sanction. Juveniles are not separated according to the
severity of their behaviour disorder, which makes treatment sessions significantly more
difficult. In most cases rooms are sufficiently large, with enough natural light and sufficient
heating. However, in the two rooms where specific measures of maintaining order and
security (up to 24 hours in duration) and a disciplinary measure of solitary confinement (up to
7 days in duration) are carried out, the accommodation conditions are absolutely
inappropriate. Rooms are very small, without sanitary facilities or drinking water, extremely
dark (even though the time of the visit was around noon and the day was sunny) and stuffy,
while the walls are covered with graffiti. It was established during the visit that while
juveniles are confined in those rooms they receive no additional treatment sessions, although
the purpose of their confinement is, inter alia, the provision of urgent psychosocial assistance
i.e. intensified individual treatment sessions.
The records of specific measures of maintaining order and security were corrected with
correction fluid, their numbering is irregular and the entry relating to the date of termination
of the measure has not been filled out. Furthermore, during the visit it was observed that
judicial police officers, contrary to the Act on the Enforcement of Sanctions Imposed on
Juveniles in Criminal or Misdemeanour Proceedings, are openly carrying batons. Judicial
police officers have received no special training for work with juveniles.
The head of the prison was given a verbal warning concerning the inappropriate way of
keeping the Register of specific measures of maintaining order and security, the open carrying
of batons and the lack of additional treatment sessions with juveniles while using specific
measures of maintaining order and security and the disciplinary measure of solitary