Report of the Human Rights Defender on the activities of the National Preventive Mechanism in Poland in 2012
– no reference to the execution of the award provided for in Article 138 §
1(3) of the Executive Penal Code;
– no discussion on self-inflicted injuries of prisoners, their reasons and activities of the administration;
– ignoring the issue of adaptation of the places of detention to the needs of
disabled persons;
– no information about the situation of prisoners who are foreigners;
– ignoring other sources of information i.e. CCTV recordings (admission
rooms, coercive measures);
– lack of conclusions stemming from the activities performed during the
visit to the place of detention;
– no reference to international legal standards;
– lack of identification of system deficiencies which have an impact on the
conditions of detention.
On 8 May 2012, external experts of the National Preventive Mechanism took
part in the training delivered by Ms Marzena Ksel, a member of CPR and an IMAP
expert. 7 In the analysed year, the experts participated in 50 visits under the National Preventive Mechanism.
During the meeting with the heads of youth care centres organised by the
Centre for Education Development8, a representative of the NPM discussed the
results of the work of the Team of the National Preventive Mechanism with regard
to youth care centres.
On 27 June 2012, a conference was held in the Office of the Human Rights
Defender which focused on discussing the Report of the Human Rights Defender
on the activities of the National Preventive Mechanism in Poland in 2011. The
meeting included the presentation of information about visits to places of detention, as well as conclusions and recommendations on, inter alia, necessary amendments to the law. The meeting was attended by representatives of the Ministry of
Justice, the Ministry of National Defence, the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry
of National Education, General Police Headquarters, Border Guard, Prison Service, NGOs and academic circles.
One of the most important events in the analysed year was a debate on Employment of convicted persons during their serving of custodial sentences and afterwards,
which was organised at the Office of the Human Rights Defender on 13 September
7
International Medical Advisory Panel the task of which is to provide answers to general NPM
questions, e.g. on systemic medical issues.
8
A meeting entitled Youth care centres as a link of the social prevention and rehabilitation system in
Poland – 6 September 2012.
12