Legal status of the users ............................................................................................................................................................ 31 VІІ. DETENTION FACILITIES WITHIN THE STRUCTURES OF THE MINISTRY OF INTERIOR 33 1. Detention facilities in the regional police departments ......................................................................................... 33 Living conditions .......................................................................................................................................................................... 33 Food ...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 35 Medical services ............................................................................................................................................................................ 36 Awareness of the detained persons as to their rights .............................................................................................. 38 Protection measures .................................................................................................................................................................. 39 2. Detention facilities within the structure of the Central Directorate "Border Police“ ............................ 40 Living conditions .......................................................................................................................................................................... 40 Food ...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 41 Medical services ............................................................................................................................................................................ 41 Awareness of the detained persons as to their rights .............................................................................................. 41 Protection measures .................................................................................................................................................................. 42 VІІІ. DETENTION FACILITIES IN THE COURT BUILDINGS _______________________________________ 43 1. Court buildings in category II ................................................................................................................................................ 44 2. Court buildings in III category ............................................................................................................................................... 45 3. Court buildings in IV category ............................................................................................................................................... 45 ІХ. PROTECTION OF PRISONERS IN CORRECTION FACILITIES _________________________________ 46 Overall description of the sentence execution system and the correction facilities in Bulgaria ... 46 Living conditions .......................................................................................................................................................................... 48 Food ...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 50 Medical services ............................................................................................................................................................................ 50 Social activities and educational work with the prisoners .................................................................................. 53 Individuals sentenced to life in prison ............................................................................................................................. 54 Contacts with the outside world and filing of complaints and signals ............................................................. 55 Regime and administrative activities ................................................................................................................................ 55 Conclusions of and recommendations from the National Preventive Mechanism ................................. 57 Inspection related to a signal as to violence in the prison in Sofia .................................................................. 58 ABBREVIATIONS USED _______________________________________________________________________________ 60 63