The visit was intended to verify the working conditions of staff, in particular the displaced police officers; the living conditions in the detention area, in terms of lighting, insulation against cold and heat and the compulsory in-patient care. Regarding the compulsory in-patient care, the Ombudsman verified that there is no misperception about the procedure of driving mentally disturbed citizens for medical treatment, even if there is the need to keep people at the Police Station. The detention cells presented the regulatory conditions, albeit with deficient natural lighting and little ventilation. In one of the spaces the air quality was poor, with annoying smell. At the police station there were panels with the rights and duties of detainees, in three languages besides Portuguese, posted in the area in front of the cells and also in the lobby at the entrance of the station. However, the Ombudsman noted the need for the model of these panels to be rethought, given the small size of the fonts, which surely will not allow, in many situations, that the detainees have effective knowledge of the respective contents. The Ombudsman noted the need to be made a Recommendation to the Minister of Internal Affairs about the making of a new panel. No difficulties relating to the conditions of installation of the civil staff were reported or detected. • Visit no. 16-2014 Date: 2014.11.14 Location: Ponta Delgada Prison Facility, in the Autonomous Region of Azores Subject: Quality and quantity of food; Procedures for the separation of inmates (preventive v. convicts; open scheme v. closed scheme; gender; first v. repeat offenders; young primary v. adults) On November 14th a visit was conducted to Ponta Delgada’s prison facility in São Miguel Island, Autonomous Region of the Azores. The aim of the visit was to assess nourishment/food quality and to find out the criteria used to separate the inmates according to their criminal status. It should be noted that the building dates from the XIX century, and the prison facility has therefore several structural problems stemming either from the inadequacy of the building structure to the current prison system or from its overcrowding (180%). The degradation of the building was underlined as was the need of construction improvements. These might imply a phased rehabilitation of the building and a temporary transfer of inmates to Angra do Heroísmo’s prison facility. | 27