high and the conditions were, according to the prisoners, “like in an oven”. Several inmates reported that they did not go for walks because of the poor condition of the yards259. During the pandemic, it was of particular concern that the quality of the walking yards discouraged inmates from going outdoors. In the prison in Łupków, a disabled inmate who used crutches pointed to a number of problems related to the lack of adjustments to the needs of people with reduced mobility (some of the infrastructure had been improved by the report date). For example, in June and July 2020, handrails were installed in the toilet and in the shower, and a special seat was installed to facilitate bathing for prisoners with mobility problems. However, the inmate reported that it was impossible for him to take a walk because of the bumpy surface on the walking yard260. Medical care during the COVID-19 pandemic Access to medical care during the COVID-19 pandemic was assessed as satisfactory or good in most of the visited establishments. Despite the limitation of direct in-person medical consultations to the most necessary cases, the so-called telephone consultations i.e remote consultations worked efficiently261. Some inmates even said that the establishment had improved medical care and that the waiting time for an appointment was shorter out of the prison. In the prison in Sztum, one of the inmates consulted a neurologist via Skype and assessed this form of consultation positively. The same inmate needed a surgical consultation due to the bone replacement, and it was provided on-site due to the need for direct contact. Female prisoners from the prison in Krzywaniec reported very different opinions on the access to a doctor. Some of them said they had to wait a few weeks for an appointment. Others stated that the medical care was very good and they were taken to the doctor whenever needed. They appreciated the fact that the doctor careful analysed their medical history and was engaged in his work. All the inmates emphasized that during the epidemic, the examinations were carried out normally, were not limited to a 259 See: Report on the NMPT visit to the prison in Czerwony Bór (KMP.571.25.2020). 260 See: Report on the NMPT visit to the prison in Łupków (KMP.571.26.2020). In the prison in Jastrzębie-Zdrój, inmates reported that in the system of remote consultations, ones with specialists were not available. They also complained about the impossibility to have any consultation with an ophthalmologist or dentist during the pandemic. At the same time, they informed that inmates with acute symptoms were taken to a doctor’s office where a normal medical examination was carried out. According to the information provided by the director of the prison, the limitations were caused by the fact that the doctors also worked in a hospital outside the prison. See: Report on the NMPT visit to the prison in Jastrzębie-Zdrój (KMP.571.20.2020). 261 97