7 Despite significant increases in prices in the past years, the remuneration convicts receive for work has not been adjusted for inflation since 1 July 2000. The average real amount of a convict’s monthly remuneration equals CZK 3,725 (in 2014). If all convicts get the opportunity to earn more money, this will increase the likelihood they will pay their debts (the costs of imprisonment, indemnification for damage caused by their criminal acts, duties to maintain and support, distraint, etc.) and it can be reasonably assumed this will reduce their motivation to commit crimes after being released. The Defender supports introduction of gradual adjustment of the convicts’ remuneration to inflation so that the risk of negative impacts on the employment of the convicts (resulting from lesser attractiveness of convict labour in case of abrupt increase of wages) is mitigated. 8 Convicts’ social connections with their close ones should be supported and developed during imprisonment, e.g. by placing the convicts in a prison near to the home of their close persons or by means of suitable organisation of prison visits. The Defender considers the statutory 3-hour visiting period as an obsolete minimum standard that no longer corresponds to the modern concept of punishment, which focuses on adapting prison conditions to free life and maintaining contact with the family. 9 The analysis of disciplinary practice shows a rapid decline in the number of disciplinary punishments and rewards between 2013 and 2014. This change is related to a new regulation of disciplinary proceedings connected with the fact that court review of selected decisions taken in disciplinary proceedings is now possible. The Defender believes that the system of disciplinary rewards and punishments should not be the convicts’ sole motivator and does not perceive the decline of disciplinary practice as inherently negative. However, the judges need to be aware of this change in the disciplinary practice, as e.g. in parole proceedings they often formalistically require several disciplinary rewards in order to approve the given application.