Monitorizarea conditiilor de detentie – aresturi

Report on the Centre for Pre-Trial Arrest and Detention of the Giurgiu Police Inspectorate

26/06/2019/in Aresturi /by Rasista

On June 6, 2019, two APADOR -CH representatives visited the Centre for Pre-Trial Arrest and Detention Centre of the Giurgiu Police Inspectorate.

General information, staff, detention areas

The Centre for Pre-Trial Arrest and Detention (CPTAD) is situated on the underground level of the Giurgiu Police Inspectorate, built-in 1978. The last significant investments were carried out in 2009-2014 through the Norwegian Financial Mechanism. This investment included the purchase of new mattresses, beds, air conditioning, two stationary bicycles, one treadmill and two power towers. The visitation room was renovated in 2018 from funds allocated by the Police Inspectorate.

The director of the detention centre admitted that many more investments are necessary. The employees admitted that the construction of a new pre-trial detention facility is needed, as the existing facility cannot be refurbished in any way. For instance, there is no way to fit toilets in individual rooms. There is a renovation project for the Giurgiu Police Inspectorate detention centre situated on Strada CFR 9, which also includes the construction of a CPTAD, but the timeline of this project is currently unknown. The employees even acknowledged that they have power cuts, but in these cases, they use their generator.

The detention facility has seven rooms (one room for women), a quarantine room which was out of order, shared bathrooms, a library, a room for body searches and package inspection, a separated visitation room for one person, a medical office, a kitchen, and a warehouse. There is no room for conjugal visits, and there is no room for it. There have not been any requests for conjugal visits, but in these cases, the detainees will be transferred to a facility which has such rooms.

All rooms have 14.57 sqm with three beds. Thus, the detention facility can only accommodate 21 persons. The rooms observe the four sqm standard, established by the Council of Europe Anti-Torture Committee. However, there are no bathrooms in the rooms. CPTAD serves only Giurgiu County; thus, on average, there is 15 detainees/month (calculated for the past six months). Furthermore, the management declared that the number of detainees has decreased, as the new Criminal Laws have removed pre-trial detention. Hence, CPTAD does not have an issue with overcrowding any longer.

The rooms have three separate beds, wall to wall carpeting, a small window which can be only opened from the outside, tables and chairs, air conditioning, a shelf for food products, a signalling system for the agents (the lightbulbs were missing at the time of our visit). The APADOR -CH representatives, could not help but notice that there was a bucket in the corner of every room. Based on our previous experience, this bucked is used by detainees for their physiological needs during the night. However, both the centre management and the detainees denied using the bucket for physiological needs, stating that this bucket is used for leftover food and even cleaning dishes (!), although there was a wastebasket in every room.

In the view of our association, the windows are too small and cannot provide enough fresh air, especially in the rooms for smokers, as was the case with one visited room where the air was unbearably thick. This problem exists solely due to the fact the windows can only be opened from the outside, have two sets of bars covered which are covered by a perforated metal plate, thus making airing next to impossible. The centre’s representatives declared that the air conditioning ventilates the rooms, but at the time of our visit, this was not in use. Upon the request of our representatives, they tried to turn on an air conditioning machine in one of the rooms, but as it turned out, the machine could not be turned on. The explanation given by the centre’s representatives was that the entire air conditioning system was disconnected this morning, but that it usually works. The detainees did not seem convinced by this explanation.

Due to the two sets of bars, natural lighting in the cells is insufficient, and the detainees always keep their lights on.

Furthermore, all radiators ware covered with a perforated metal sheet. The Association cannot know whether this affects the heating of the rooms in winter.

There are no TV sets in the rooms, as the electrical installation is very old and would not be able to cope. New cabling is needed, as there are not any outlets. The right of information is ensured by the radio sets present in each room. The detainees may bring their own battery-powered radio sets.

The shared bathroom down the hall comprises two showers, two squat toilets and four sinks. There is no window, and the ceiling is covered in mould, the malodour can be felt even with the door closed. The bathrooms are shared both by detainees and centre employees. The only female agent uses the bathroom from an upper level.

The isolation room has seven sqm, has wall to wall carpeting and one bed, but it was not adequately equipped. According to the centre’s management, this room has not been used for a very long time; the musty air can confirm this.

The centre as one senior officer and 20 non-commission officers (only one woman) for security and supervision, escort, body searches and package inspection. Both the centre management and the employees admitted that the number of employees is insufficient and that they are overwhelmed when there are more than 15 detainees. There are two persons per shift for supervision, which have numerous responsibilities (serve the meals, formalities for new incoming detainees, escorting the detainees to the toilet), and if one officer must escort a detainee for visits, then there is only one person left for surveillance. Ideally, there would be three persons working on a shift. The employees stated that the lack of personnel is partly due to the small salaries offered.

Medical assistance, food, hygiene

Medical assistance is ensured by one general practitioner and three nurses who served the centre employees as well. The doctor is present between 8 – 16. The nurses work in shifts, and during the night, a nurse is on call. When the doctor is on a leave of absence, he is replaced by a doctor from Calarasi who comes to Giurgiu once a week. The emergency services handle any emergency. If new detainees are brought during the night, then these are seen by the nurse on call. The Association considers that hiring of another doctor is necessary since all new persons brought in the centre must undergo a medical consult and have a replacement in the absence of the other doctor. OPSNAJ procures the necessary medication, and there have not been any issues so far, according to the centre director.

Medical consults are carried out in one of the rooms on the underground floor. The room has a bed, a closet and a shelf for all the medication. Our representatives were not able to find any first aid kit in the office. Furthermore, the office did not have a window or a bathroom. The musty air in the room indicated that the room was not used very often. The Association strongly believes that this room is not suitable for medical consults and the purchase of a first aid kit.

The most common health-related problems are mental health issues and drug addiction. 2014 was the last year in which detainees received methadone treatment from the Romanian Anti Drug Agency, and the centre does not stock any.

There is no therapist/psychiatrist. If the management of the centre considers that a detainee needs counselling, they put in a request for the therapist.

The food of the detainees is brought from the Giurgiu Penitentiary. When we visited, the detainees were about to have sour soup, cabbage and macaroni and cheese for dinner. They declared that the food was good.

The centre has a room designated as a kitchen for the employees, where all the food portioned. This room also holds the refrigerator for the detainees, where every detainee can leave their packs of food. There is also a refrigerator for the employees. One detainee is responsible for washing the dishes.

Upon entry, the detainees receive a blanket, a sheet and pillow, together with toiletries, if they do not receive them from home. Some detainees declared in their interviews that they only received soap and tissue paper, and other toiletries were distributed upon request.

The shower schedule is daily from 8 to 11 pm, depending on the room. Warm water comes from the two boilers installed in 2004. The bedsheets are not cleaned very often, as the management prefers giving out new bed sheets at regular intervals.

Outside contacts, other rights.

The detainees may send letters. The mailbox is on the ground floor, so outside the holding facility, thus the detainees must be escorted every time they want to mail a letter.

The detention centre also has a room used as a library, with approximately 50 volumes, a TV set and a telephone for the detainees. The Association believes that this room should be reorganised. The books are old, there is no copy of the Criminal Code, and the room is unsuitable for the library. Furthermore, the placement of the telephone in the library is inconvenient, as it infringes the right to hold private phone conversations, as the supervisor stays in the same room.

Every other week, the detainees can make a shopping list, and the centre employees buy and distribute the products. The centre’s management is happy with this solution, although our Association believes that centre employees should not be responsible for shopping. CPTAD Giurgiu has relatively few shopping requests, and its employees regard a tender for companies which may want to provide the products as very cumbersome.

The courtyard has approximately 15 sqm, is surrounded by high walls, is completely covered with bars and partially with Plexiglas, has a stationary bike, a treadmill and a power tower. The detainees go to the courtyard every day.

The visitation room was also on the ground floor. It has a desk, benches and a separated area. The room only fits one person. Meetings with the lawyers are also held in this room. The average visit lasts 30 minutes.

Interviews with the detainees

At the moment of our visit, the centre housed nine men. CPTAD Giurgiu rarely takes in women and minors. There was only one minor in 2019.

APADOR -CH visited and interviewed the detainees from two rooms. In one room, the APADOR -CH representatives interviewed three persons, who all stated that they received medical assistance as soon as possible whenever they requested it. When they have to go to the toilet, they knock on the door to be escorted to the bathroom. An old and torn print of the internal regulations was stuck on the room door. The room was for smokes, and although it had two windows, the air inside was barely breathable.

In another room, the representatives discussed with 3 Bulgarian citizens. They declared that they communicate with the officers in English, even though only one of them spoke it, and that they use non-verbal communication to make themselves understood. Furthermore, they declared that they did not receive an interpreter when their rights were read. They have the right to one visit per week, to a one hour walk, and phone calls three times a week. A doctor had seen them and received medical care when needed.

Concluding remarks and recommendations

APADOR -CH appreciates the efforts made to ensure adequate detention conditions and reiterates its recommendationsꓽ

putting the air conditioning machines into serviceꓼ
removal of the metal sheets covering the windows and radiators
setting up the telephones in an area which can ensure the privacy of the phone calls;
the addition of a copy of the Criminal Code and Criminal Procedure Law into the library as well as other books;
the addition of a first aid kit in the medical office

APADOR -CH would like to draw attention to the fact that the Giurgiu Centre for Pre-Trial Arrest and Detention offers inadequate detention conditions as the rooms aren’t fitted with bathrooms, and in such cases ECHR considers this as degrading treatment and a breach of article 3 of the European Convention on Human rights (which prohibits torture and inhumane treatment). Considering that the detention rooms cannot be retrofitted to include a shower ad toilet in each room, the Association recommends setting up a new Centre for Pre-trial and Detention, according to international standards.

Livia Popa

Nicoleta Popescu

Traducere Cristina Badea-Guțu

Analysis of the implementation of the infrastructure measures of the action plan pertaining to the ECHR judgement in the case REZMIVEȘ and others v. ROMANIA

26/06/2019/in Aresturi, Comunicate, , Monitorizare condițiilor de detenție, Penitenciare, Speciale /by Rasista

On the 25th of April 2017, ECHR has adopted a pilot judgment in the case REZMIVEȘ AND OTHERS v. ROMANIA which concerned prison overcrowding and inadequate prison conditions.

Following this judgment, on January 25^th 2019, the Romanian Government sent out to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe (appointed for the implementation of ECHR judgements) an action plan aimed at solving the problem of prison overcrowding and the improvement of detention conditions.

The action plan also includes a timetable for the implementation of these measures spanning over 7 years (2018-2024).

We are currently in stage II of the implementation. Investments in infrastructure are the key component of this plan, which in turn will increase the number of detention places (to solve overcrowding) and modernize them (to address the other problems related to conditions of detention).

APADOR-CH has submitted many freedom of information requests (based on the Law on the freedom of information no. 544/2001) to establish whether the implementation of this plan adheres to its timetable.

The modernization of prisons

Promises: 8095 new places of detention and 1351 modernized places

I.A. According to the action plan, 8095 new places for detainees will be created along with the modernization of 1,351 places, over the span of 7 years. The creation of these new places will be done by the construction of 2 penitentiaries (the Berceni Penitentiary and the Unguriu Penitentiary) which will also ensure an extra 1,900 places (paragraph 47 of the action plan).

According to Annex 1 of the action plan, the new detention places will be created by:

– changing the use/transforming some existing facilities into detention areas (e.g. by turning places such as the canteen, festivities room, production workshops, offices or storage areas into detention spaces).

– the construction of new detention spaces (by building new wings/ sections in some prisons and by creating two new penitentiaries: Berceni and Unguriu)

The action plan contains 6 stages (paragraph 48) as follows:

Stage 1 (2018) – objective: the creation of 1 new detention place and modernization of 500 existing places.

Stage 2 (2020) – objective: the creation of 44 new detention places and modernization of 85 existing places.

The answer received from the Ministry of Justice in April 2019 states that 70 new detention places were finalized between January 2018 – February 2019 (30 at the Giurgiu Penitentiary and 40 at the Deva Penitentiary) and 282 detention places were modernized (Deva Penitentiary). We can already see a negative deviation from the plan, both regarding the creation of new detention places (there should have been 316 new detention places at the end of 2018) and the modernization of existing places (by the end of 2018 500 detention places should have been modernized).

Stage 3 (2021) – objective: the creation of 508 new detention places and modernization of 85 existing places.

Stage 4 (2022) – objective: the creation of 3.997 new detention places and modernization of 666 existing places. At the end of 2022 the Unguriu Penitentiary, with 900 places, should be finalized. Furthermore, also at the end of 2022, the modernization of the existing detention places should be finished, because stages 5 and 6, which refer to 2023 and 2024, don’t include any modernizations but only the creation of new detention places.

Stage 5 (2023) – objective: the creation of 2730 new detention places. At the end of 2023, the Berceni Penitentiary should be at least partially finalized, it will ensure 500 new detention places (of its full capacity of 1,000 places).

Stage 6 (2024) – objective: the creation of 500 new detention places and modernization of 85 existing places. The 500 new detention places will be ensured by the Berceni Penitentiary, which should be fully functional by the end of 2024 (1,000 places).

Achievements in 2019: 70 new places, 282 upgraded places, 0 steps to build new prisons

I.B. Under point 3 of Annex 1 the action plan establishes the stages and the calendar for the construction of the Berceni Penitentiary with a total capacity of 1,000 places which must be finalized and operational by December 2024.

According to this action plan, the following activities should have been finished by June 2019:

preparation of a feasibility study [target date: June 2018]
approval of this feasibility study by the Interministerial Council (IMC) [target date: December 2018]
adoption of a Government Decision (GD) to approve the technical and economic indicators of the investments [target date: June 2019]

The answer received by the Association from the Ministry of Justice stated that as of March 27th, 2019 none of the above-mentioned activities had been carried out.

I.C. Under point 4 of Annex 1 the action plan establishes the stages and the calendar for the construction of the Unguriu Penitentiary, with a total capacity of 900 places, which must be finalized and operational until December 2022.

According to this action plan, the following activities should have been finished by June 2019:

– definition of the concept and design brief [target date: January 2018]

– approval by the technical and economic council of the Romanian Prison Administration Authority of the concept and design brief [target date: January 2018]

– preparation and submittal by the Ministry of Justice of a GD proposal to be approved by the Romanian Prison Administration Authority for the tender of the feasibility study [target date:

– performance of the technical reports and feasibility study [target date: June 2018]

– approval of the feasibility study by the Romanian Prison Administration and submission for approval to the Ministry of Justice of the technical and economic indicators by the Interministerial Council and preparation for the GD proposal to the approval thereof [target date: December 2018]

– preparation and approval of the requirements specification for awarding the works, course of the procedure and preparation of the technical project [target date: throughout 2019, until December 2019]

The answer received by the Association from the Ministry of Justice stated that until the 27th of March 2019 none of the above-mentioned activities had been carried out.

The overcrowding of prisons in 2019 – constantly 111%

Regarding occupancy index in the penitentiaries, a detailed situation was published for June 25, 2019, on the website of the National Prison Administration (ANP). Essentially, on 25^th of June 2019 the rate of occupancy was at 111.12% (19,083 prisoners and 17,173 detention places observing the 4 sqm per person standard). For prison hospitals, the occupancy rate at that date was 68.38%, for provisional detention centres it was 42.41% and 71.23% for juvenile detention centres.

Thus, on the 4th of June 2019, the rate of occupancy was at 111.68% (19,178 prisoners and 17,173 detention places observing the 4 sqm per person standard). For prison hospitals, the occupancy rate was 61.93%, 43.86% for provisional detention centres and 75% for juvenile detention centres.

A similar overview was published on the website of the Romanian Prison Administration Authority on May 21st, 2019. Thus, on May 21st, 2019 the rate of occupancy was at 111.45% (19,179 prisoners and 17,209 detention places observing the 4 sqm per person standard). For prison hospitals, the occupancy rate at that date was 66.12%, for 43.73% for provisional detention centres and 75% for juvenile detention centres.

Furthermore, an overview on the occupancy rate was published by the Romanian Prison Administration Authority in February 2019 as well. Thus, on February 19th, 2019 the rate of occupancy was at 111.83% (19,244 prisoners and 17,209 detention places observing the 4 sqm per person standard). For prison hospitals, the occupancy rate at that date was 71.10%, 46.74% for pre-trial detention and 73.97% for juvenile detention centres.

Solutions to reduce the overcrowding in the short-term

The 111% occupancy rate for penitentiaries could be reduced to 100% either by a reduction of the number of prisoners by 2,000 (19,178 – 17,173 = 2,005) or by creating/modernizing approximately 2,000 detention places (and maintaining the same number of inmates).

According to the action plan, the proposed 2,000 new detention places or modernized places should be achieved only by the end of 2022, provided that there are no deviations from the timetable. However, as shown above, the calendar hasn’t been observed. Although there should have been an extra 816 (new or modernized) places in prisons by the end of 2019, by February 2019 only 352 had been created (70 new places and 282 modernized), i.e. only 43% of the planned number of places. We are safe to assume that there will be further delays in the future.

At this pace, we can conclude that the reduction of the occupancy rate from 111% to 100% by adding 2,000 places in prisons is likely to occur in 2022 – 2023. The most feasible target date, however, would be 2023.

The effects of the law on conditional release

A fast solution for reducing the occupancy rate to 100%, would be the reduction of the number of inmates by 2,000, which seems to be an alternative to increasing the number of places in prison. This is the solution currently used (to reduce the number of inmates) and translates into several legislative changes: such as the law on conditional release or the use of alternative penal sanctions to imprisonment.

Considerations on the law on conditional release (Law no. 169/2017). The compensatory measures introduced by Law no. 169/2017 consist in the reduction of sentences with 6 days for every 30 days executed in unsuitable conditions. Thus, for every 30 days executed, 36 days are counted (for one actual month, one month and 6 days are counted, thus almost one month and one week, and 5 months for every 4 actual months etc.)

The action plan also mentioned this law as one of the measures which will contribute to solving the problems related to penitentiaries (paragraph 34 of the action plan).

According to the Romanian Prison Administration Authority’s press release no. 21652/14.01.2019, in the timeframe since the law on sentence reduction became effective (21st of July 2017) and the press release (January 14th 2019), so within two and a half years, 14,402 inmates benefited from this law and were thus released. Out of the total number of inmates 2,551 were released due to the “reductions” provided by the law and their sentence was deemed as fully executed, while 11,851 were released on probation, because based on the “reductions” they had executed a quota (fraction) of their sentence, thus allowing them to be released on probation.

The actual concern regarding the “law on conditional release” is that it was applied with no differentiation whatsoever (for all inmates). Thus, it allowed and still allows the early release of inmates imprisoned for severe and grave offences, since this reduction also applies to them. However, such a law could apply only to those who were subjected to the same conditions of imprisonment throughout their sentence, for the law not to be discriminatory.

The public reacted vehemently especially when the “beneficiaries” of the law on conditional release committed new serious offences after their release (murders, rapes, robberies etc.).

Maybe a different political approach would have found alternatives to the “law on conditional release”, solutions which would not have permitted the fast-tracked release of recidivists (inmates who had previous convictions besides their current sentence) and to inmates who have committed serious and grave offences.

For example, legislative measures could have been taken to accelerate the release of first-time offenders and for the release of prisoners convicted for less severe offences. This would have freed up new places in the penitentiaries and would have enabled the relocation of the prisoners detained in substandard facilities, without the accelerated liberation of repeat offenders and the prisoners sentenced for serious or very serious offences.

At present, it would be possible to repeal the law on conditional release and to adopt alternative measures with less harmful effects for society, so that the penitentiary occupancy index, which is currently 111%, falls below 100% (see also APADOR-CH opinion on the law on sentence reduction.

Obviously, the ideal measure would be the accelerated construction and modernization of new prison places, which in return would eliminate the accelerated release of repeat offenders, but within a tense social climate, the most reasonable solutions are often the hardest to implement.

The Council of Europe is not convinced and calls for further modernization measures, but also financial compensation for inmates

In this context, the recent Decision No. H46-21/2019 of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe (which oversees the execution of the ECHR judgements) in the meeting no. 1348, 4-6 June 2019 on the implementation of the European Court’s judgment in the case Rezmiveș and Others and Bragadireanu group v. Romania (Application. 61467/12) is worth mentioning.

This decision established that:

regarding the current efforts to upgrade prison infrastructure, clarifications are still required to enable the Committee conclusively to assess the authorities’ strategy; requested them to specify whether the modernization work envisaged covers all premises in need of such intervention and, should this not be the case, to state their intentions in respect of the rest of these premises(point 4 of the decision)

the authorities must review and adapt their current plans to modernize and renew the existing network of arrest detention centres, to ensure that all facilities intended for holding remand prisoners before trial offer Convention-compliant conditions, adapted to the length of their stay, including sufficient living space, adequate material conditions with direct access to natural light and air, an appropriate regime of out-of-cell activities and suitably equipped premises for such activities (point 7 of the decision)

alongside improvements in the living conditions in prisons and pre-trial detention facilities, accessible and effective preventive and compensatory remedies at domestic level are necessary to allow the European Court, in due course, to refer back to national courts the thousands of applications pending before it relates to the problems raised by these judgments [Rezmiveș] (point 8 of the decision)

while Romania established a preventive remedy in 2014 and a mechanism providing for reduction of sentence of persons detained in inhuman or degrading conditions in 2017, it remains for the authorities to enact legislation allowing persons who did not, or will not, benefit from a reduction in sentence, who have lodged or could lodge complaints with the European Court about their conditions of detention, to claim financial compensation (point 9 of the decision)

it expressed its deep concern at the delay in establishing the compensatory financial remedy, urged the authorities to step up their efforts with a view to finalizing draft legislative proposals and engaging the necessary procedures for their adoption; in the event that no tangible progress in the legal process is reported by 1 October 2019, instructed the Secretariat to prepare a draft interim resolution for consideration at their 1362nd meeting (December 2019) (DH) (point 10 of the decision).

Modernization of prisons, release of inmates or financial reward – what would the public opinion choose?

To this day, the Council of Europe considers that all problems related to overcrowding and living conditions of prisoners are not solved and requests new measures pertaining both to the modernization of the infrastructure and the adoption of new laws to establish compensatory remedies for the prisoners.

Currently, the Romanian Civil Code (art. 1349 and following) contains provisions which allow the payment of injuries, either moral or material, suffered by a person regardless of the circumstances in which these injuries occurred. Thus, the courts have the ability, to judge every individual case within the legal statute of limitations and to evaluate whether or not an injury existed, the nature of the injury, what the exact injury was and to determine the best remedy.

In the current social and economic environment, the idea of adopting new laws enabling the financial compensation of convicted persons is quite challenging to put into practice under different conditions than those stated by the Civil Code. It’s not the first time this option was on the public agenda, and the reactions weren’t positive.

The modernization of police arrests

Promises: 1596 new places and 187 modernized places

The action plan also establishes the creation of new places and the modernization of the existing places in the pre-trial detention centres (commonly known as “police arrests”). The action plan establishes the creation of 1,596 new places and the modernization of 187 places over the span of 6 years (2018-2023) (paragraph 55 of the plan).

The action plan contains 3 execution stages (paragraph 56) structured as follows:

Stage 1 (2018) – target new/modernized places – 114

Stagiul 2 (2019-2021) – target new/modernized places – 153

Stagiul 3 (2021-2023) – target new/modernized places – 1.516

The answer received by the Association from the Romanian General Police Inspectorate (RGPI) in March 2019 states that no new places have been created between January 2018 – February 2019, but 147 places have been modernized as follows:

– Provisional Detention and Pre-trail Detainment Centre of the Maramures Police Inspectorate (30 places) – currently being commissioned;

– Provisional Detention and Pre-trail Detainment Centre of the Galati Police Inspectorate (34 places);

– Provisional Detention and Pre-trail Detainment Centre of the Iasi Police Inspectorate (50 places);

– Provisional Detention and Pre-trail Detainment Centre of the Maramures Police Inspectorate (33 places) – currently being commissioned.

Thus, the target for stage 1 (2018), i.e. 114 modernized places was achieved together with a part (33) of the total number of 153 places established under stage 2, with the commissioning date December 2021.

It bears mentioning that the highest number of new/modernized places is planned for stage 3 (2021-2023) i.e. 1,516, for the provisional detention and pre-trial detention centres. The total number of places for stages 1 and 2 (2018-2021), i.e. 267 is quite easy to achieve. However, there is a significant difference between the initial two sages where the target was 267 places (for 2018-2021) and the last stage with a goal of 1,516 places (for 2021-2023).

Occupancy rate in police arrests: 55,7%

Regarding the occupancy rate of pre-trial detention facilities, the Romanian General Police Inspectorate declared that on 19.03.2019 the total number of detainees was 779 out of the 1398 places which fulfilled the 4 sqm per person standard. Thus, there was an average of 55.7% on 19.03.2019.

Furthermore, the Romanian General Police Inspectorate sent us the statistic for the inflow and outflow of detainees for the entire month of February, split for each day of the month. This enabled us to determine that during the month of February 2019 the number of persons held in custody varied between 719 and 751 per day, with a total number of 1398 of places (hence an occupancy rate between 51.4% and 53.7%).

Observations during monitoring visits in arrests and prisons

APADOR-CH representatives visited 10 units of detention ( policearrests and penitentiaries) during January-June 2019, namely: Prisons and Police Arrest and Pre-trial Detention Centres from Giurgiu, Miercurea Ciuc, Galati, Craiova, Bucharest and Târgu Jiu.

Detention conditions in police arrests

The use of alternative arrest methods as well as the investments made in recent years in the rehabilitation of police arrest and pre-trial detention centers have made the arrests no longer overcrowded, with the occupancy rate being far below the capacity of the centres in all the visited units.

Although extensive investments have been made in many units, there are still issues to be resolved regarding the hygiene of premises, the placement of too many beds in rooms related to their surface or other aspects such as:

There are still rooms without toilets in which inmates use the classical bucket during the night for their needs, while during the day they have to resort to the goodwill of the officers to be taken to the toilet or shower;
In some police arrests that are located in the basement there is still the problem of illumination and insufficient ventilation of the rooms. Even though air conditioners have been installed, in some places they do not work and they do not replace natural light and fresh air anyway;
In most police arrest centres there is no medical assistance dedicated to the detainees. The same medical staff of the County Police Inspectorates, which provides medical assistance to the police staff, also sees the inmates. And this assistance is not always assured;
Psychiatric or psychological assistance is still lacking, although a significant percentage of the arrested population has mental health problems;
In most arrest centres, the right to shop is solved by sending police officers to the market, which reduces the dignity of their function, being practically turned into a messenger for the inmates.

Detention conditions in prisons

In the penitentiary system, despite the important releases of the past two years, the overcrowding continues to exceed the detention capacity. Investments in the modernization of existing premises or in creating new ones are at this moment lacking taking into consideration its necessary amplitude in order to see a considerable improvement.

In order to improve the life of the inmates, in 2019 the food allowance was doubled from 3.5 lei / day / prisoner to 7 lei / day / prisoner and the value of hygienic-sanitary materials received monthly by each prisoner increased substantially: razors, two rolls of toilet paper, toothpaste, shaving paste, comb, soap, shampoo, nail clippers, detergent, etc. According to the statements of inmates, these materials are sufficient, but most of the inmates with whom APADOR-CH has been interacted continue to complain about the quality of the food.

According to administrative estimations, the monthly expenses with a prisoner are 505 lei, plus the amount representing the salaries of the staff.

With few exceptions, such as the new and modern building of the Giurgiu Penitentiary, put into use at the beginning of 2019, attempts were made to rehabilitate the existing premises, a third row of overlapped beds was removed in order to create a less crowded space to existing rooms.

Overall, the following problems persist:

Poor hygiene in many of the detention rooms or food blocks;
Disabled or insufficient bathrooms for the number of inmates per room and a hot water program too short for everyone to shower;
Few or no medical staff (except for the Galati Prison, all the other visited prisons had a deficient number of physicians or did not have at all – Miercurea Ciuc case);
As with police arrests, there is a chronic lack of psychiatric medical staff;
Lack of testing programs when entering the prison system for sexually transmitted diseases and generally lack of methods to prevent the spread of these diseases, eg condoms;
Lack of effective programs for qualification of inmates, to facilitate their reintegration after release;
Insufficient staff to carry out socio-educational activities that most inmates say they need;
Insufficient jobs for inmates, with or without payment. Given that the Romanian labor market lacks staff and the prisons have people wanting to work, it would be desirable for the Ministry of Justice to find solutions together with the Labor Ministry to link the two segments.

Observations and recommendations for the visited police arrests

Police arrest and pre-trial detention Centre from Bucharest (Central Police arrest) (full report)

Although there have been large investments in the semi-basement, there is still a need for funds to be allocated to the ground floor of the detention centre where women are accommodated. All 11 rooms require rehabilitation, as they have not been rehabilitated and have dampness, water infiltrations, rusty sanitary facilities and poor hygiene conditions.
Further, police officers are personally involved in making the shopping and distributing the products to the arrested persons.

Police arrest and pre-trial detention Centre from Miercurea Ciuc (full report)

All 11 arrest rooms require urgent investment. They have water infiltrations, rusty sanitary facilities and poor hygiene conditions. There are two bathrooms on the hall, one used by women (also used by the centre staff) and a sanitary group used by men.
Walls are blocked with plastic bottles because the sewage odor is penetrating and difficult to bear. All sanitary facilities are rusty, old and partially functional. Using a bucket for the physiological needs during the night is inhuman and degrading treatment within the meaning of the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.
The placement of the telephone is totally inappropriate because of the chosen location – in the medical cabinet – but also because it is not possible to provide visual supervision to those who use it.

Police arrest and pre-trial detention Centre from Galați (full report)

The arrest is visibly changed from the last APADOR-CH visit, freshly renovated, modernized sanitary units, insulating glass windows, ventilation system on the hall and in the rooms.
However, the project could have provided for the location a smaller number of beds, in order to respect the norm of the room space.
There is no psychologist / psychiatrist for detainees.
Phones should be located in an area to ensure the confidentiality of calls.
It is required to supplement the book fund from the library with copies of the Criminal Code and Criminal Procedure Code, the most required books in the system.
Refurbishment and equipping of the courts with minimal equipment for physical activities.

Police arrest and pre-trial detention Centre from Dolj (full report)

Over the last 4 years, funds have been allocated for repairs, cleaning and improvements, however, the sensation left by Dolj Centre, probably due to its basement location, is one of dirt and darkness.
It is necessary to install doors to bathrooms and to ensure a periodic cleaning of them.
It is necessary to re-establish the visiting sector for minors so that the visits to take place without a separator, according to the legislation in force.
Install the 4 fitness bikes and treadmills purchased in the walking courts to give people the opportunity to do sports.
Provision of medical assistance within the arrest, including by intensifying the efforts to fill the vacant post of arrest doctor.

Police arrest and pre-trial detention Centre from Giurgiu (full report)

Although it is no longer overcrowded, it is necessary to construct a new arrest centre, as employees have stated, because there are no conditions for a reorganization of the existing detention space, for example there is no technical possibility of installing bathrooms in the rooms.
The center is often confronted with power outages, which is why air conditioners in rooms do not work.
It is recommended to remove the perforated metal panels from the windows, which prevents the air from entering the rooms.
The phones for detainees should be placed in an area to ensure the confidentiality of the conversations.
Supplying the medical room with a first aid kit.

Observations and recommendations for the visited prisons

Giurgiu Penitentiary (full report)

It is the only visited prison that had a new building structure, built to modern standards of detention. Otherwise, only 50% of the penitentiary provides adequate conditions of detention. Even if it is not overcrowded, many rooms in the penitentiary still do not meet the hygienic legal standards.
According to the management, the unit has a low capacity to spend funds for the rehabilitation of the detention facilities, because it does not find skilled persons neither inside the penitentiary, among inmates, nor outside.
The hot water program in rooms with more than 3 people should be extended for more than one hour so that all the occupants of the room have the time to shower.
Intensify the efforts to collaborate with the School Inspectorate for organizing classes of 5th-8th grades in the penitentiary so that the level of schooling is no longer an obstacle in obtaining a qualification and, later, in finding a job.

Galați Maximum Security Penitentiary (full report)

As for 2012 (the last visit of APADOR-CH here), some things from the Galati Penitentiary have changed for the better, but the conditions of detention in general and the overcrowding of the rooms remain to be solved.
It is commendable that the socio-educational sector manages to involve a large number of prisoners in educational activities. It would be desirable to emphasize the qualification courses, in order to give prisoners an advantage when leaving the penitentiary and aproaching the labor market.
It is understandable and appreciated the leadership’s concern to stop the traffick of drugs and mobile phones, which it says there were on a large-scale in the years before 2017. But some measures taken in this regard seem to punish prisoners and make their detention more difficult, in addition to the conditions that are so improper. These effects also seem to be reflected in a slightly increased number of aggressions and self-aggressions among prisoners, according to activity data from 2018 – 68 cases in 2018 compared to 48 in 2017, in the circumstances of a decreasing number of prisoners. According to the same report, the number of acts of violence against the staff sharply increased, from 1 in 2017 to 14 in 2018, which may indicate a latent state of frustration among prisoners.
The management should reconsider the decision to ban refrigerators on the hallways for the use of prisoners.
Extending the warm water distribution period, from one hour and a half – two hours to three hours, at least in the eight-person rooms, so that everyone can have a shower.
Finding solutions for keeping the prisoners busy through paid work, at least those under an open regime, which would not require such a strict guard.

Miercurea Ciuc Penitentiary (full report)

APADOR-CH appreciates that Miecurea Ciuc Penitentiary is one of the cleanest and most neated prisons in the country. However, there are two major problems: the overcrowding and the lack of medical assistance since 2014 to provide health care.
At the time of the visit, in one room there were, for example, 16 prisoners and 18 beds, each prisoner having 1.56 sqm space, much below the 4 sqm standard. The prisoners in this room have complained that there are no staircases at the overlapped beds, that the food is bad, the yards are small and the time spent outside is limited, they do not receive envelopes and stamps, they would like to work no matter if they are paid or not.
It is recommended to solve the problem of overcrowding, including through the development of a medium and long-term strategy considering that the space and nature of the penitentiary does not allow the extension or construction of new premises.
Hiring a permanent general practitioner in the penitentiary. Given that some of the nurses are about to retire, penitentiary officials have to think of solutions to replace them so they will not end up in a deadlock.

Târgu Jiu Penitentiary (full report)

The level of overcrowding remains high, a prisoner having a maximum of 2 sqm space, which flagrantly contradicts the 4 sqm recommended by the Committee for the Prevention of Torture. The association recommends to the prison’s leadership but also to the National Administration of Penitentiaries to find urgent solutions for the decongestion of rooms where the air is unbreathable.
Nearby, in Bumbeşti-Jiu, there is a fully equipped unit of the Gendarmes’ Authority that would meet the conditions for a penitentiary with a minimum investment. This location is no longer used, being left to degrade. The Târgu-Jiu Penitentiary’s management mentioned that made proposals to National Administration of Penitentiaries to take over this space starting with 2016, but no solutions were found at the level of the two ministers: the Ministry of Administration and Interior and the Ministry of Justice.
Investments in the food sector are needed (renovation, purchase of a ventilation system).
Reorganize the visitor space with minors.
Intensify the efforts to take over the Bumbeşti-Jiu location to be transformed into a penitentiary, given the need for new detention spaces at international standards.

Craiova Penitentiary (full report)

It is a visible improvement regarding the overcrowding since the 2014 visit. Also, the Craiova Penitentiary is among the few who benefits from a psychiatrist. However, in relation to the workload here, APADOR-CH recommends that there should be at least another psychiatrist.
In addition, it would be necessary:

– placing refrigerators in the rooms;

– placing condoms in places accessible to prisoners to prevent the spread of sexually transmitted diseases;

– supplying the medical room with fast HIV tests;

– repairing the ventilation system at the food block.

Raport asupra vizitei în Centrul de reținere și arestare preventivă din subordinea Inspectoratului Județean de Poliție Dolj

19/06/2019/in Aresturi /by Rasista

Sorry, this entry is only available in Română. For the sake of viewer convenience, the content is shown below in the alternative language. You may click the link to switch the active language.

La data de 11 iunie 2019, două reprezentante APADOR-CH au vizitat Centrul de reținere și arestare preventivă din cadrul I.P.J Dolj . Vizita a început la ora 10 dimineața și a luat sfârșit la ora 13. Cea mai recentă vizită a unor reprezentante APADOR-CH aici a avut loc în 2012, conform raportului de pe site-ul asociației.

Efective, personal, spații de detenție, dotări

La data vizitei C.R.A.P Dolj găzduia 22 de arestați dintre care 16 bărbați adulți, 3 femei și 3 minori (toți băieți). Arestul este amplasat la demisolul unei clădiri din incinta IJP Dolj. Spațiile de deținere ale arestului constau în 16 camere a căror suprafață totală este de 189,36 mp, excluzând grupurile sanitare amenajate în camere. Conform declarațiilor conducerii, spațiul a fost reorganizat începând cu anul 2016 pentru a atinge cei 4 mp/arestat. Capacitatea totală este de 45 de locuri (față de 85 cât era la vizita APADOR-CH din 2012), astfel rezultă o suprafață de 4,20 mp pentru fiecare persoană cazată în camerele de detenție. Conform afirmațiilor conducerii, gradul de ocupare al arestului a fost sub 50% în 2019 și de 90% în 2018. Durata șederii nu depășește șase luni dar este în general mai mare de o lună. În situațiile foarte rare în care este atinsă capacitatea maximă, persoanele arestate sunt mutate în C.R.A.P Olt.

Personalul arestului constă în 30 de agenți (din care două femei), un singur post fiind vacant. Asistența medicală este asigurată de 4 medici și 4 asistenți ai Centrului Medical Județean Dolj al MAI. Nu activează în arest altfel de personal specializat, cum ar fi psiholog, asistent social sau educator.

De altfel, persoanele private de libertate nu desfășoară niciun fel de activitate cu excepția plimbărilor zilnice (minim o oră, maxim două). Potrivit documentelor oficiale, arestul are patru curți de plimbare (2 cu suprafață fiecare de 17,78 mp, respectiv 2 cu suprafață fiecare de 20,58 mp). Acestea arată că în anul 2017 au avut loc lucrări de hidroizolare și de refacere a pardoselii acestora și au fost confecționate copertine. Reprezentantele APADOR-CH nu au putut identifica cele 4 curți de plimbare, ci doar 3, cu suprafețe de cca. 20 mp fiecare. La momentul vizitei curțile erau neîngrijite și nu aveau niciun fel de dotări cu excepția a 4 spaliere tracțiune și o bicicletă dezafectată. Reprezentanții arestului au precizat că la începutul anului 2019 au fost achiziționate 4 biciclete fitness și o bandă de alergare, dar acestea nu fuseseră montate din cauza vremii ploioase de la începutul anului. În mod paradoxal, în documentele scrise oferite reprezentantelor APADOR-CH la sfârșitul vizitei, cele 4 biciclete fitness și banda de alergare figurează ca fiind montate încă din anul 2017. APADOR-CH recomandă C.R.A.P Dolj să pună de urgență aceste aparate sportive în funcțiune, pentru a oferi persoanelor arestate posibilitatea de a desfășura activități recreative cât mai variate.

Organizația apreciază că, în perioada 2015-2019, C.R.A.P Dolj a desfășurat activități de reparații, ingienizări și amenajări în cadrul arestului. Cu titlu de exemplu, se pot menționa următoarele: amenajarea de grupuri sanitare în 11 camere; montarea a 16 paturi individuale și 14 ansambluri de paturi suprapuse cu saltele noi; montarea a 22 de aparate de aer condiționat; refacerea instalației de alimentare electrică a camerelor reținuților și a birourilor lucrătorilor; refacerea instalației de iluminat a camerelor deținuților. Cu toate acestea, așa cum se menționează în continuare în cuprinsul raportului, sunt necesare și alte îmbunătățiri. Persistă o serie de probleme în ceea ce privește condițiile de detenție, acest lucru datorându-se și faptului că arestul este amplasat în continuare la demisolul întunecat al clădirii. Reprezentanții C.R.A.P Dolj și-au exprimat dorința de a accesa în viitor fonduri europene pentru a construi un sediu nou în curtea I.P.J Dolj, pe care momentan o împart cu S.R.I. Acest lucru nu este realizabil însă într-un viitor apropiat având în vedere că liniile de finanțare europeană se deschid abia în 2021, iar procesul în sine de finanțare și ulterior de construire va dura ceva timp.

Contactul cu exteriorul

Sectorul vizite și grefa sunt amenajate în două camere amplasate în exteriorul arestului propriu-zis, la etajul superior al clădirii. Ambele camere sunt dotate cu dispozitive de separare care se folosesc în toate cazurile. Unul dintre minorii cu care au discutat reprezentantele APADOR-CH a precizat că nu i-a fost permisă vizita fără separator atunci când s-a întâlnit cu mama sa (și s-a plâns că nu a putut să o țină în brațe). Organizația reamintește conducerii C.R.A.P Dolj că potrivit legislației în vigoare (art. 248 alin. 3 din Regulamentul de aplicare a L254/2013) vizitele în cazul minorilor trebuie să aibă loc fără separator și recomandă luarea măsurilor necesare pentru amenjarea unui astfel de loc. Este notabil că în cazul grefei, camera este dotată cu o ușă cu geam, ceea ce permite supravegherea vizuală în condiții care asigură confidențialitatea convorbirilor. Nu același lucru se poate spune și despre camera de vizite. Organizația recomandă conducerii C.R.A.P Dolj înlocuirea ușii actuale a camerei de vizită cu una cu geam sau amenajarea unei alte camere în acest scop.

Asistența medicală

Așa cum a fost menționat deja, asistența medicală este asigurată de 4 medici și 4 asistenți ai Centrului Medical Județean Dolj ai MAI. Aceștia lucrează în ture de 8 ore și se deplasează și în afara orelor de program atunci când au loc ieșiri și intrări din arest. Pe timpul nopții asistența medicală este acordată doar telefonic. Postul de medic al arestului este vacant, fără prea multe perspective de a fi ocupat prea curând.

Cabinetul medical se află în afara incintei arestului. Atunci când persoanele ajung în arest, un medic coboară pentru efectuarea consultului la depunere, într-o cameră special amenajată în acest scop. Camera este dotată minimal: un pat, o masă, un dulap cu 40 de casete pentru medicamente- organizate pentru fiecare cameră, o trusă medicală. Unul dintre agenți a afirmat că medicamentele nu sunt distribuite de medici așa cum ar fi normal, ci de agenții de pază. APADOR-CH recomandă C.R.A.P Dolj să ia toate măsurile pentru a asigura asistența medicală continuă în cadrul arestului, inclusiv prin intensificarea eforturilor de a ocupa postul vacant de medic al arestului. Cei doi medici cu care au vorbit reprezentanții organizației s-au plâns că au un program foarte încărcat și că se găsesc în situația de a fi pe de o parte medici ai polițiștilor și jandarmilor din cadrul I.P.J Dolj, și pe de altă parte medici ai persoanelor arestate. Ei au menționat că acest lucru poate fi interpretat de către aceștia din urmă, în sensul în care sunt subiectivi și nu le pot acorda atenția cuvenită.

Medicii cu afirmat că, în funcție de vârstă, cele mai des întâlnite afecțiuni în rândul arestaților sunt cele cardiace și diabetice. Minorii și tinerii sunt în general consumatori de etnobotanice, aceștia fiind trimiși la psihiatrie. Programele de tratament pentru consumatorii/foștii consumatori de droguri sunt absente, deși au existat recent cazuri de foști consumatori de droguri. Numai în luna mai 2019, arestul a găzduit 8 persoane cu antecedente de consum de droguri (7 bărbați și o femeie, 1 consumator de heroină, 7 – alte droguri). Nu au existat până acum în arest persoane cu tratament substitutiv cu metadonă sau HIV. Nu se derulează niciun program de prevenire a transmiterii infecției HIV/hepatite nici pe cale sexuală și nici sanguină. În ceea ce privește medicamentele, cadrele medicale au mai precizat că au doar strictul necesar și nu pot asigura urgențele. Pentru situații deosebite se apelează la 112 sau la alte spitale din Craiova.

Persoanele aflate în arest la data vizitei s-au declarat în general mulțumite de calitatea serviciilor medicale. Doar un arestat a reclamat faptul că nu primește îngrijire medicală pe timpul nopții dacă îl doare o măsea. Conducerea arestului a mai menționat că C.R.A.P Dolj nu mai are un stomatolog de 5 ani de zile.

Hrana arestaților

Hrana asigurată arestaților este preparată și furnizată de Penitenciarul Craiova. În general arestații au precizat că mâncarea este acceptabilă. Arestul are și un contract de colaborare cu o firmă, astfel că persoanele private de libertate pot achiziționa bunuri și alimente o dată la două săptămâni, pe baza unei liste care se predă supraveghetorului. Arestul dispune și de o bucătărie în care este depozitată vesela în care se distribuie hrana, o cambuză și 8 frigidere pentru a-și păstra alimentele primite de la aparținători. Doi arestați lucrează la bucătărie ca veselari.

În anul 2019, a existat un singur refuz de hrană. În cazurile de refuz de hrană arestatul este consultat zilnic de către medicul arestului și se solicită prezența judecătorului delegat. Acesta, care se ocupă de CRAP Dolj și de Penitenciarul pentru Minori și Tineri Craiova și Penitenciarul de Maximă Siguranță Craiova.

Judecătorul delegat

Potrivit șefului arestului, care a preluat conducerea în februarie 2019, judecătorul delegat a venit doar de două ori (din inițiativă proprie). Acesta vine în arest numai dacă există solicitări exprese din partea deținuților (în ultima perioadă nu a avut astfel de solicitări), sau din când în când „pentru a se uita pe documente”. Arestații îl pot contacta telefonic, numărul de telefon al judecătorului delegat este afișat în holul arestului, pe pereții unde sunt instalate telefoanele.

Dreptul la informare, convorbiri telefonice și corespondență

Telefoanele, în număr de patru, și cutia poștală sunt amplasate în interiorul arestului, în holul de la intrare. Arestații pot comunica telefonic cu familia de trei ori pe săptămână și zilnic cu avocatul, în măsura banilor disponibili pe cartela telefonică. Spre deosebire de ultima vizită a APADOR-CH din 2012, telefoanele sunt dotate cu paravan care asigură confidențialitatea convorbirilor. Supravegherea vizuală se face din cameră alăturată prin intermediul camerelor video. Corespondența poștală este depusă personal de arestați în cutia poștală de pe hol. Dreptul la informare al arestaților este asigurat prin faptul că fiecare cameră este dotată cu televizor (racordat la un furnizor de programe prin cablu). Arestații se pot uita la ce programe aleg și fără să fie condiționați de vreun orar.

Biblioteca este amenajată în aceeași cameră folosită pentru fotografiere și amprentarea arestaților și conține în jur de 100 de volume. Reprezentanții arestului au menționat că aceasta nu prea este folosită, precizând că 30% dintre arestați sunt analfabeți. Dintre cei care știu să citească, mulți solicită Codul Penal care stă la șeful de tură și este pus la dispoziție la cerere.

Perchezița

Percheziția la depunerea în arest are loc într-un spațiu necorespunzător care afectează dreptului la intimitate și demnitate al persoanei. Concret, percheziția corporală are loc după o perdea, într-un colț al holului care face accesul la bucătărie și punctul de triaj. Acest prim contact cu mediul arestului este destul de brutal, punând persoana într-o situație de vulnerabilitate, mai ales dacă este pentru prima oară într-un astfel de mediu. Până la amenajarea unui spațiu corespunzător asociația apreciază că percheziția ar putea avea loc în camera alăturată, unde se face consultul medical inițial, care oferă mai multă intimidate.

Vizita în camere

Din 2012 și până azi condițiile în arest s-au îmbunătățit, prin reparații, amenajări și achiziții noi (câteva menționate la începutul acestui raport). Cu toate acestea, senzația pe care o lasă C.R.A.P Dolj, probabil și din cauza amenajării sale la demisol, este una de murdărie și întunecime.

Camera 28 – femei

La momentul vizitei, în arest erau găzduite 3 femei, într-o cameră cu suprafața de 12.43 mp (2.21 mp grupul sanitar) în care erau amenajate 3 paturi. Acestea s-au declarat mulțumite de condiții, precizând că personalul arestului are grijă de nevoile lor, există apă caldă în permanență, au acces la medic când au nevoie.

Camerele de adulți bărbați

Reprezentantele APADOR-CH au vizitat două camere în care erau cazați majoritatea bărbaților. În camera 27, cu o suprafață de 32,11 mp se aflau cazate 6 persoane și erau amenajate 9 paturi. Camera 23 găzduia 5 persoane într-un spațiu de 25,69 mp și o capacitate de 8 paturi. Ambele camere erau insuficient iluminate natural și aerul era irespirabil din cauza grupului sanitar din cameră (WC și duș din PVC, fără ușă). APADOR-CH apreciază faptul că s-au găsit fondurile necesare în 2016 pentru a amenaja grupuri sanitare în camerele de deținere. Cu toate astea, organizația consideră absolut necesar ca acestea să fie dotate cu uși și igienizate periodic. De asemenea, organizația recomandă conducerii arestului să găsească un loc unde arestații își pot usca rufele. Deși există o mașină de spălat, multe persoane își spală hainele în cameră, unde le și usucă, lucru care contribuie la atmosfera înăbușitoare și pune în pericol sănătatea arestaților.

Bărbații arestați au comunicat reprezentantelor APADOR-CH că sunt mulțumiți de condițiile de detenție, cu unele excepții. Unii dintre ei s-au plâns că nu primesc decât săpun și hârtie igienică în fiecare lună și nici produse pentru curățarea camerei. De asemenea, aceștia au menționat că grupul sanitar degajă un miros urât, aspect confirmat și de reprezentantele APADOR-CH.

Camera minorilor

La momentul vizitei, arestul găzduia și 3 minori băieți și un tânăr de 19 ani. Două dintre persoane fuseseră aduse cu o seară înainte. Aceștia s-au plâns reprezentanților organizației că nu primiseră până la acel moment produse igienice. În legătură cu acest aspect, șeful arestului a precizat că minorii „abia sosiseră” și personalul nu avusese timp până în acel moment să le înmâneze necesarul, dar că urmau să o facă, întrucât „avem dulapul plin”. Minorii s-au mai plâns și că în cameră miroase foarte urât din cauza canalizării (același tip de grup sanitar din PVC, fără ușă).

În ceea ce privește camera de izolare, șeful arestului a precizat că de ceva vreme camera de luat vederi instalată nu funcționează întrucât nu s-au găsit fondurile necesare reparării acesteia. Având în vedere costurile foarte mici implicate, APADOR-CH recomandă luarea tuturor măsurilor pentru remedierea acestei situații.

Concluzii și recomandări:

APADOR-CH constată că Centrul de reținere și arestare preventivă din cadrul I.P.J Dolj a rezolvat problema supraaglomerării existentă la momentul ultimei vizite în anul 2012. În momentul de față fiecărei persoane arestate îi revin 4,2 mp. De asemenea, este de apreciat că, mai ales în ultimii 4 ani, au fost alocate fonduri pentru reparații, igienizări și amenajări, în vederea îmbunătățirii condițiilor de detenție.

APADOR-CH recomandăꓽ

Dotarea cu uși a grupurilor sanitare din camerele de deținere și igenizarea lor periodică.
Remenajarea sectorului vizite pentru minori astfel încât vizitele să aibă loc fără separator, potrivit legislației în vigoare.
Instalarea de urgență a celor 4 biciclete de fitness și a bandei de alergare în curțile de plimbare, pentru a oferi persoanelor arestate posibilitatea de a desfășura activități recreative cât mai variate.
Să ia toate măsurile pentru a asigura asistența medicală continuă în cadrul arestului, inclusiv prin intensificarea eforturilor de a ocupa postul vacant de medic al arestului.

Alte concluzii și recomandări sunt incluse în raport.

Livia Popa
Georgiana Gheorghe

Report on the APADOR-CH visit at the Pre-Trial Arrest and Detention Center under the supervision of the Galati Police County Inspectorate

07/06/2019/in Aresturi /by Rasista

On the 21st of May 2019, two APADOR-CH representatives visited the Galati Police County Inspectorate detention center. Previously, this center had been visited by APADOR-CH in 2012, according to the report on the APADOR-CH site.

Detention spaces – location and amenities

The pre-trial arrest and detention center is located within the inspectorate and takes up three levels in one of the wings of the building. The wing in which the jail is currently situated in underwent a series of renovation and modernization works (paintwork, modernization and sterilization of the sanitary facilities, new furniture, mattresses, air conditioning, surveillance cameras), which were finalized in 2018.

Right from the beginning, the director of the detention center mentioned that there are some non-functional aspects at the center, reasoning that the project holds a two-year warranty period, in which time no changes or improvements are allowed to be made that would affect the original renovation plan.

The building’s basement features a library, several administrative chambers, as well as a washing machine and a laundry room for the detainees. The ground floor features six cells, a visitation booth including a divider, a medical facility and two yards meant for walking. On the first floor there are six cells and a cell for solitary confinement.

The 12 cells feature two or four bunk beds. The cells featuring two bunk beds hold one prisoner, while the cells with four bunk beds hold three prisoners. According to management, the center has a maximum detention capacity of 28 people. Dimensions for the two-bed cells range between 7.10 and 7.77 square meters (excluding the sanitation facility, which takes up approximately 1 square meter), while the four-bed cells range between 10.32 and 10.67 square meters (excluding the sanitation facility – 1 square meter). As not every bed was occupied, at the time of the visit each prisoner held in the center was allotted an average 3.5 square meters (in case of the four-bed cells), less than the standard 4 square meters, which should be the minimum allocated to a prisoner, according to the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman pf Degrading Treatment of Punishment (CPT) norms.

Management claims that the “extra” beds cannot be removed due to the project warranty, which doesn’t allow for considerable changes to be made on the building. The Association considers that the project could have forecasted the placement of a smaller number of beds from the beginning in order to respect space standards, since the center modernization was undertaken precisely align the center with CPT norms. Therefore, the Galati Police County Inspectorate detention center is somewhat crowded, related to the number of beds and persons, however, APAPDOR-CH notes that the situation is much improved compared to the 2012 visit, when, according to the management from that time, there had been situations when two people shared one bed.

The sanitation facilities in each cell feature approximately 1 square meter, they are tiled and include a Turkish toilet with a shower placed above each one. In the visited cells, the detainees had plugged up the toilets with plastic bottles (PET) filled with water in order to block the sewage smell—a similar situation to the one in 2012. The cells each feature one sink along with a mirror made of damage-proof material, placed outside the sanitary facility. The cells have also been fitted with large double-glazed and fixed windows, inclinable only on the upper section. This allows for natural light and fresh air to enter, an obvious improvement compared to 2012. The sanding on the glass of the windows doesn’t allow for any visual contact with the outside world. The cells aren’t equipped with tables. In addition to bunk beds, some cells feature functional television sets (some brought in by prisoners, others from the center’s equipment base). In the two-bed cells (one-person cell) there aren’t any television sets. Asked whether he would want a television set, one inmate confessed that he had requested one but was told it wasn’t possible. The center manager reasoned that there’s a risk for the persons quartered alone to use the television cord for suicidal purposes. However, the Association considers that the prisoners’ right to information must be respected and a television set is necessary, especially in one-person cells.

The solitary confinement cell features one bed, but it does not comply with the conditions of a standard solitary chamber, and it cannot be fitted earlier than 2020 due to the same project warranty reason. This cell wasn’t being used at the time of the visit and there are plans for upcoming adjustments to be made following the expiration date of the two-year warranty period, the manager said.

Concentration and staff

At the time of the visit, the center held a total of 20 male prisoners, out of which 3 were minors. Other detainees had been transferred to neighboring centers, as follows: one person transferred to the Tulcea Pre-Trial Arrest and Detention Center, three persons transferred to the Vrancea Pre-Trial Arrest and Detention Center and six transferred to the Braila Pre-Trial Arrest and Detention Center. The center manager declared that it is preferred to maintain a number of available spots at the center, in case of emergencies. The Galati Pre-Trial Arrest and Detention Center occasionally hosts female prisoners, but only for short periods of time. They are usually transferred to nearby penitentiaries or jails, which are fitted with dedicated female wards. The Galati Pre-Trial Arrest and Detention Center’s staff includes female employees who can ensure security and surveillance in case of female detainees. When there are no female detainees, female agents mostly handle administrative tasks, packages and visitation.

The center’s staff is made up of the manager and 28 agents (6 are female agents), assigned to security and surveillance, escort, rights assurance (packages, visitation) departments.

For transportation purposes, the center has three D category vans at disposal (the maxi-taxi type) and a modified Dacia Logan featuring a ramp and bars. The center is set to receive another of this kind. The center isn’t equipped for video questioning/hearing.

Meals, medical assistance, hygiene

The medical facility is situated on the ground floor, in a chamber measuring 7.10 square meters, equipped with a bed and a medicine cabinet. It does not feature a sanitary facility. The medical staff comprises three nurses and a doctor, who is also the chief of the County Medical Center, which is under the authority of the Medical Directorate of the Defense Ministry and provides services to the Pre-Trial Arrest and Detention Center staff and inmates. There is no permanent medical assistance at the jail. A nurse is present at the center for four hours and a doctor is present for 2 hours on a daily basis. The 112-emergency number is called in case of emergencies. The doctor and nurse the APADOR-CH representatives talked to said that another doctor will be hired at the end of the year.

All inmates are medically examined upon being taken into custody. The center has a protocol with the Saint Andrew County Hospital, which also ensures medical services for inmates, in case necessary. Dental ailments and more complex health issues are treated at public hospitals. The center doesn’t cover complex dental interventions, inmates pay for those. As medical assistance isn’t provided during nights, the physician and nurses leave the medicine, which is to be distributed during the night, with the guards. According to the medical personnel, there haven’t been any situations when inmates needed medicine and didn’t receive any.

The most common afflictions encountered with inmates are behavior disorders and psychoactive substance addictions. However, the center hasn’t had any cases involving inmates under methadone substitute treatment. In case of withdrawal, procedure requires informing and putting the inmate in touch with the National Antidrug Agency (NAA).

There is no psychologist/psychiatrist available for the prisoners. Primarily, the physicians are the ones who call attention upon a prisoner who might need psychological counseling—he is directed to the psychologist catering to the needs of the center’s staff. In psychiatric instances, inmates are examined at the Galati Military Hospital. For psychiatric cases, inmates are examined at the Galati Military Hospital. Inmates do not receive condoms, because the center manager considers them unnecessary, as all prisoners are male. There has been only one inmate who stated to be homosexual and he was quartered alone in a cell. However, the Association considers it useful to supply inmates with condoms in order to prevent sexually transmitted diseases. Upon being taken into custody, prisoners are tested for TBC trough the national healthcare act. No HIV tests are carried out, but there has been one person who stated to be HIV-positive and he was quartered alone in a cell. The center manager stated that a bactericidal sterilization lamp has been purchased for instances of TBC and hepatitis.

Bedding is provided upon entering jail and it is comprised of blankets, bedsheet, pillow and hygiene products. Nevertheless, after talking to some of the inmates, it seems that they received insufficient hygiene products (only paper and soap) or none at all. The center manager stated that oftentimes detainees bring their own products from home but are asked if they also require the products provided by the center. Most stated that they received, upon request, products for cleaning and sanitizing the cells. Some mentioned that the blankets are small and very old, insanitary and they weren’t able to use them. Prisoners have access to one washing machine located in the staff sanitary facility, where prisoners can also dry their clothes.

One of the issues identified by APADOR-CH representatives was regarding hot water. The center currently has two water-heating boilers. Following conversations with the prisoners, inmates on the ground floor said they always have hot water, while inmates on the first floor said they only have hot water for 30 minutes in the morning due to a malfunction in one of the boilers. The center manager stated that all rooms have hot water at all times, except for when the boilers are empty and need to heat water again. He says that in those instances the water is lukewarm, but not cold. Regardless, as it is not clear whether the inmates rightfully complained, or they just didn’t think of checking for hot water later, the center manager revealed that the situation will improve this year because 14 heating stations will be acquired and installed, which will also ensure heating throughout the jail in the winter, as the city’s district heating went bankrupt.

Meals are provided by the Galati Penitentiary and transported with the center vehicle. The inmates with whom the APADOR-CH talked to stated that meals are satisfactory, but they prefer to eat food from home.

Contact with the exterior, other rights

There is a mailbox on the ground floor, in the hallway providing access to the two yards, where inmates have the option to mail their own letters. Prisoners’ correspondence is registered at the registrar’s office. The detainee opens their letters in the presence of the supervisor.

There are two telephone terminals without being separated by an isolation board at the disposal of the prisoners, also on the ground-floor hallway. APADOR-CH considers that placing the telephones on a circulated access corridor, nearby the supervisor’s office, doesn’t provide enough privacy in regard to respecting the prisoners’ right to confidentiality.

The visitation room equipped with a separator is the place where packages are opened by the agent, in the presence of the detainee and the visitor, with the package being handed over through an opening in the separator. Minors benefit form visits on one side of the visitation room, without the separator. There is no room for private visitations and there haven’t been any requests for this kind of visitations. Management mentioned that in case of requests, they will be transferred to units that include this amenity.

The yards (one of 19.89 square meters and the second of 14.94 square meters) are more like walking chambers, as the center manager describes them. These are spaces with cement walls taller than 2 meters, featuring an empty section on the upper part, right under the roof, to facilitate air circulation. The yards are completely covered with a grid and plexiglass, which almost completely prevents detainees from seeing the sky. The Association considers that this is more likely a hermetically sealed space, which doesn’t provide favorable conditions for the prisoners’ walks nor for carrying out any other activities than walking. APADOR-CH recommends a refurbishment and equipping of the yards, perhaps with a sporting device (a basketball hoop, horizontal poles for pull-ups. Additionally, the placement of a clock on the yard wall would be useful. A detainee recently taken into custody was visibly disoriented about everything happening to him and told the APADHOR-CH representatives that since being in jail he never knows what time it is since he only had the time on his cell phone. Walks take place daily, for an hour, per rooms.

The center’s library is situated in the basement and features approximately 100 books (fiction, adventure novels, poetry volumes). The room measures roughly 7 square meters, featuring a small window and a desk. The detainee can request to be brought down to the library or he can ask the police agent for a book he would like to borrow. APADOR-CH representatives did not identify copies of the Penal Code, although the manager said it is one of the most requested books. In fact, one of the detainees stated that he would like to purchase a copy. The smell of fresh paint and the stuffy air indicates that this chamber hasn’t been used very often following the renovation. The Association considers it necessary to replenish the library’s book base, especially with law books.

The center doesn’t feature a store. In the extent to which the inmates have money, once every two weeks each inmate has the right to compile a shopping list of up to 21 liquids, 20 kg of groceries, 6 kg of fruit/vegetables. These are purchased in the city by the staff. There is one functional refrigerator on each floor, at the prisoners’ disposal. The center manager mentioned the fact that there is indeed an issue with this supply method through the staff, because it runs the risk that agents may lose some authority over the inmates and be seen as couriers. There have been discussions about turning to commercial operators, but that’s not possible as the inmates’ budget is unpredictable, and operators impose consistency and stability. Moreover, there is no criteria for selecting a commercial operator, there are no stipulations in this regard. The center manager stated that it would be useful to establish an economic entity or a unitary solution on a national level through a decree.

At the time of the visit, three minors in total were quartered with adults. According to the center manager’s explanation, one of the minors specifically asked for this, while the other two were detained for the same deed and couldn’t be quartered together. According to article 117 from Law 254/2013 regarding the execution of sentences and of measures involving deprivation of liberty ordered by judicial authorities during criminal proceedings, minors must be quartered together and separate from adults.

In the backdrop of the European Parliament elections, the center manager stated that there was an informing process for the prisoners, but no one expressed the willingness to vote. In other years, the center got in touch with BEC (Central Electoral Bureau), submitted the list of persons who wanted to vote and made the ballot box available to the inmates.

Discussions with the inmates

APADHOR-CH visited and talked to inmates from four cells. In one of the ground-floor cells, APADHOR representatives talked to three people, who stated that they were content with the conditions as they were quartered in a renovated cell, they always have running hot water, agents ask them every morning if they need to see the physician, their bed sheets are washed when necessary, they received cleaning and sanitizing products for the cell, and the walk schedule is kept.

In another cell there was only one person who requested to be quartered alone due to health reasons. The detainee was also content with the conditions, except for the lack of hot water, the fact that he can’t purchase cooked food and the small dimensions of the yard. He stated that he received medical treatment when necessary and that he only received paper and soap, without any other hygiene products, upon being taken into custody.

In one of the cells on the first floor there were two people, one of them a minor, at the time of the visit. The minor stated that his rights were explained to him upon arrival and he was examined by the physician. The other inmate stated that conditions at the Galati Pre-Trial Arrest and Detention Center are better compared to other centers and that he gets along well with the minor and regards him as his son. The cells are fitted with a doorbell system that inmates can use to call the supervising agent on the floor, who generally responds quickly to requests.

Other inmates were encountered in the walking chamber. They also stated that they were examined by a physician upon being taken into custody (one of them, a minor, had dental issues and received painkillers until he was to be taken to the dentist—he put in a request for this), they were read their rights upon arrival, the staff displayed a professional attitude. Two prisoners said that they didn’t receive hygiene products, so they had to purchase them.

Procedural matters—handcuffing and body search

When asked by the APADOR-CH representatives regarding the detainees’ handcuffing procedure, the center manager stated that prisoners are cuffed every time they leave the jail (for court and other criminal proceedings), in compliance with the Regulation related to the setup and operation of pre-trial arrest and detention centers, as well as necessary safety measures for these, approved through the Ministry of Internal Affairs Decree nr. 14/2018. The Regulation allows handcuffing “while traveling to judicial authorities or during transfer, as a measure of preventing escape, in thoroughly warranted instances”. The center manager stated that the inmates qualify for these thoroughly warranted instances as most of them are “carrying out some form of measure involving deprivation of liberty ordered based on assessing the: severity of the deed; the manner and circumstances of committing the deed; criminal history and other circumstances regarding the inmate, when taking into account the fact that liberty deprivation is necessary in order to remove any sense of danger toward public security.” Consequently, the Regulation is somewhat lenient with regard to handcuffing.

The shift manager’s chamber, situated on the ground floor, is the one where the body search is carried out on detainees upon arrival. The room features a surveillance camera, same as every corridor and the yards. The center manager stated that the detainee’s privacy and dignity is respected during the body search.

Conclusions and recommendations

The center is evidently different compared to APADOR-CH’s previous visit—recently renovated, modernized sanitary facilities, double-glazed windows, ventilation system installed in the hallway and the cells. Inmates confess that they are content with conditions for the most part.

APADOR-CH appreciates every improvement made as well as the staff’s effort in ensuring detention conditions, while reiterating the recommendations mentioned throughout the report:

Telephones to be placed in an area that ensures conversation privacy;
Hygiene products to be guaranteed for all detainees upon arrival;
Cells to be equipped with a table each;
A clock to be placed in the yards;
Copies of the Penal Code and Criminal procedure code, as well as other books to be added to the library’s book base;
Television sets to be placed in the one-person cells;
The yards to be remodeled in order for the roof to feature at least an open portion;
The yards to be fitted with minimal sports equipment for physical activity.

And last but not least, APADOR-CH draws attention on this visit as well to an unresolved systematic issue: the limited access to medical services for persons suffering from mental disorders. We remind the Romanian state that solutions must be found to implement the ruling of the European Court of Human Rights in the case of Ticu v. Romania, where the Court established that the lack of access to medical treatment and services for inmates suffering from mental illnesses constitutes a breach of article 3 of the Convention (the right of not being subjected to torture, punishment and inhumane and degrading treatment).

Dollores Benezic

Livia Popa

Translator: Timea Papp

Report on the APADOR-CH visit at the Miercurea Ciuc Pre-Trial Arrest and Detention Center

24/04/2019/in Aresturi /by Rasista

On the 5th of April 2019, two APADOR-CH representatives visited the Miercurea Ciuc Pre-Trial Arrest and Detention Center.

Features, concentration, investment

The Center only admits persons within the Harghita County territorial area.

At the time of the visit, the Center held 11 liberty-deprived persons, all male. According to the representatives present on scene, the number of persons within the detention center has decreased lately, as courts have issued fewer deprivation of liberty orders and more house arrest and judicial supervision measures. As of March 2018, an average of 5 persons were held in the Detention Center, with intervals during which no persons were being held in detention/arrested. The declared full capacity is of 21 persons (relative to the number of installed beds in the 11 rooms of the center).

The establishment plan currently foresees 16 positions, out of which: 15 agents and a chief of detention. At the time of the visit, 4 agent positions were vacant.

All 11 rooms are situated on the ground floor, with floorplans ranging between 6,72 square meters (the smallest) and 18,76 square meters (the largest). There are 7 rooms containing 2 beds, 3 rooms containing 1 bed each and 1 room containing 4 beds.

In 2016, through a project financed with the EEA and Norway Grants 2009-2014, all windows were replaced using double-glazed type carpentry windows, while new beds and mattresses were acquired as well.

According to the spokesperson of theCenter, it underwent a series of maintenance repairs consisting of sanitizing and painting detention cells between 2017 and 2018.

All 11 rooms of the detention center are in need of critical investments (refurbishment), considering the complete lack of rehabilitation, the presence of mildew and water leakage, corroded sanitary facilities and substandard/poor hygienic conditions. There are two sanitary facilities in the hallway—one used by women (also used by the center’s personnel), and another used by the liberty-deprived men. The latter is equipped with Turkish toilets as well as showers above the toilets. There are three sinks. The toilets are plugged up with plastic (PET) bottles due to the fact that the sewer smell is pungent and difficult to endure. All sanitary facilities are rusty, old and partially functional.

Amenities in the detention cells are minimal: aside from beds, there is a table but no chair, in case the detained persons would like to eat at the table. The detainees confirmed that they have requested at least a chair, but the situation didn’t progress further from the “promise” stage. When asked about the situation, the center representatives said they fear that chairs might be used for self-harm purposes.

Each cell’s “amenity base” includes a plastic bucket used by detainees to relieve themselves during the night. The inmates specified that if they knock on the cell doors during the nights the supervisor will open the doors in order for them to use the facilities, but they resort to this only if they have an emergency; otherwise they usually don’t want to disturb and prefer to “use” the bucket during the interval between 22.00-06.00.

The Center representatives provided surprising explanations by stating that the keys of the detention cells are in the possession of the on-duty officer at the police station and not in the possession of the supervisor who provides security at the center during the night. In case there’s a request from a detainee such as using the facilities during 22.00-06.00, then the on-duty officer is contacted by the Center worker, the officer goes to the center, they open the cell door and wait until de liberty-deprived person returns to their cell, locks the door and returns to their post within the police station building.

The association calls attention to the fact that the use of a bucket to relieve physiological needs during the night constitutes inhumane and degrading treatment according to the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights.

The Center representatives presented the full modernization and rehabilitation project, which was created and later updated in 2017. The acquisition procedure in SEAP was launched in 2018, but the request was rejected 3 times because it wasn’t in accordance with the procedure. For this investment, valued at approximately 400,000 euros, funds were allocated through a loan commitment for 2018, but the acquisition contract wasn’t closed until late 2018, thus obstructing the procedure until budget allocations are made for 2019.

The Miercurea Ciuc Modernization project is comprehensive and will feature: outfitting and re-compartmentalizing the cells including common areas; replacing sanitary facilities in each cell, changing all of the sanitary and electrical installations, adding a new efficient surveillance system, phone system as well as new furniture.

The Association requests the continuation of the acquisition process once the 2019 budget is operational, considering the condition of the detention spaces that require urgent and extensive investment.

Cells are not equipped with outlets and lack television sets, a fact that detainees who spoke to association representatives have complained about. There is only one radio transmitter that broadcasts music during the day on a local radio station—selected by the supervisor—which plays in every cell. The radio station can be turned off at the request of the detainees.

The medical facility

The medical facility of Miercurea Ciuc Center is situated in an arranged space set up in the basement. At the time of the visit, according to the discussion with the doctor, the facility’s personnel consisted of 3 physicians: the chief physician with a daily schedule between 8-16, 2 doctors who provide on-call medical services in shifts—in case they are called in when they are home, they come in—and one medical nurse. The medical facility is fitted with minimal medical amenities and in case of emergencies, they call the 112 emergency service. The Center’s physician specified that the most common afflictions encountered are: behavioral and cardiac disorders. There was only one drug user in the course of 1 year.

The positioning of the telephone within the medical facility—used by inmates to communicate with the outside world—is entirely unusual. The telephone’s position is completely inappropriate due to the chosen location—within the medical facility—as well as due to the fact that visual surveillance cannot be provided to those using it. All detainees who spoke to the association representatives stated that the supervisor sits on a chair in the medical facility right next to the telephone, thus failing to guarantee the right to confidential phone conversations.

Activities, contact with the outside world/outside contact, other rights

Liberty-deprived persons who spoke with APADOR-CH representatives stated that they usually spend 1 to 2 hours in the yard. There is only one yard of approximately 18 square meters within the Center, equipped with a bicycle—received through the Norwegian Financial Mechanism 2009-2014—and a small bench. The yard is fitted with a plexiglass roof across one-third of the yard’s surface so it can be used regardless of the season.

The room to provide the right to private visitations doesn’t exist.

The persons detained at the Center have confirmed that they only received toilet paper at the moment of entering detention, without having received further mandatory sanitation products (a bar of soap, shaving cream/foam and a single-use razor).

Conclusions and recommendations

APADOR-CH has appreciated that rehabilitation undertakings have commenced at Miercurea Ciuc Pre-Trial Arrest and Detention Center in order to align the it with international standards regarding spaces for liberty-deprived persons. However, these efforts must remain consistent and be continued in order to finalize the projects mentioned in the report, considering that currently, the Center isn’t in compliance with the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights and the recommendations of the European Committee with regard to preventing torture and inhumane and degrading punishment (CPT).

We request/ask the competent authorities to prioritize the allocation of necessary funds for the rehabilitation of CRAP Miercurea Ciuc.

Nicoleta Popescu

Georgiana Gheorghe

Report on the visit of the Centre for Pre-Trial Arrest and Detention No. 1, situated in Bucharest

06/04/2019/in Aresturi /by Rasista

On March 19th, 2019, two APADOR -CH representatives visited the Centre for Pre-Trial Arrest and Detention No. 1 (CPAD No. 1) from Bucharest, known to the general public as the Central Custody Centre. The last visit took place in 2016, the report of that visit can be accessed at Association’s website.

Specifics, number of employees, investments

The Centre for Pre-Trial Arrest and Detention is still the largest one in Bucharest and coordinates the activity of all other remand custody centres. This custody centre ensures the transfer of detainees to the provisional custody centres situated in Bucharest and Ilfov County (where there are such centres) to penitentiaries in Bucharest and Ilfov County and handles the distribution of food from the Rahova Penitentiary to all detention centres in Bucharest.

Fifty-four persons were held in custody on the day of our visit, 40 men (4 minors) and 14 women. According to the CPAD’s representative, the number of persons held in provisional custody has steadily decreased lately, as the courts issue fewer arrest warrants and more house arrest and judicial review orders. In the timeframe between March 2018 until the day of our visit, no more than 65 persons were detained here, although the capacity of the Centre is of 88 detainees (47 men and 41 women, with an average of 4 sqm/person).

After the last visit of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and upon its recommendation, starting with late 2018 it was decided that all minors executing a provisional custody warrant in the jurisdiction of Bucharest and Ilfov County are brought to the Centre for Pre-Trial Arrest and Detention no. 1. Starting with February 2019 all minors were moved to CPAD 1. Before this decision, the minors were held at the Centre for Pre-Trial Arrest and Detention no. 12 inside the Regional Precinct of the Bucharest Transport Police. APADOR – CH regards the measure to move the minors at the CPAD 1 as beneficial, as the minors are held under better detainment conditions which are compliant to the international standards. At the date of our visit, 4 minors were detained at CPAD 1, all of them boys.

The current organisational chart contains 94 positions for 85 police agents, 5 waiters (contract staff) and 4 administrative personnel. There are currently 5 vacant positions (3 police agents and 2 waiters). The Association cannot help but notice that in 2016 the Centre employed 44 police agents while the number of detainees was much higher, and currently, the number of employed agents nearly doubled. Even the Centre’s representatives acknowledged that the current number of employees is sufficient, and all the vacant positions were occupied by graduates of the “Vasile Lascar” Campina Police Academy.

According to the CPAD no. 1 representative, various investments were carried out during 2017 and 2018 for the complete renovation of the underground floor and the equipment of all the 18 rooms therein. The ground floor, with its 11 rooms for women, still needs renovating.

The underground floor – detainment area for men

All the 18 rooms on the underground floor, with a total surface area of 208.01 sqm were renovated entirely and commissioned in April 2018. The 18 rooms are structured as follows: 5 rooms with an area of 8,46 sqm (room DS 18) and 9, 15 sqm (room DS 15) with 2 beds or even one bed, and 13 rooms with areas between 13.42 sqm (room DS 9) and 14.56 sqm (room DS8) with 3 or 4 beds.

The renovation works consisted of: the complete replacement of all sanitary installations and objects, the shower and toilet were separated from the rest of the room with a doors, the rooms were pained, fitted with sensors warning the supervising agents if an inmate stays too long in the bathroom or if they request to talk to the supervising agent. The floors were coated with epoxy floor paint, and the doors were replaced. Before this renovation, between 2009-2014 all windows were replaced with insulated windows, as well as all the beds and new air conditioners were installed in all the rooms, through a project financed by the Norwegian Financing Mechanism. These new furnishings are still in place today.

Three minors were held in one of the rooms visited by the APADOR -CH representatives, two of them had arrived a few days prior, and one of them had been held in pre-trial custody for a month. All three of them stated that they receive all sanitary products needed and that they sometimes receive food products from home because the food served here is not very good.

Furthermore, most of the detainees the APADOR – CH representatives talked to complained about the quality of the food served here. Note that the food served here comes readily made from the Rahova Penitentiary. Moreover, during our visit, an employee who was serving lunch to the detainees mentioned that the sour soup with meatballs, which was on the menu that day, barely contained any meatballs.

The underground floor also has 2 rooms with a total of 18 new refrigerators. This is where the detainees can store their food (1 refrigerator for each room), and a room called barber’s shop, where one a week an employee of the Romanian Ministry of Internal Affairs offers barber services and where a washing machine for the detainee’s clothing was installed (the machine was functional on the day of our visit) and a library filled with books received from donations.

The ground floor – detainment area for women

A renovation project for the ground floor, where the women are detained, is in place for 2019. The funds have been requested from the Romanian General Police Inspectorate; however, the budget has not been approved yet; thus the funds are still missing.

The 11 rooms where the women are detained need urgent renovations considering that they are full of mould, water infiltrations, rusty sanitary installations and lack hygiene. Furthermore, the occupants of the room have to block the doors to the toilets with plastic bottles, to stop the malodour from the sewage system from entering the room. There are four beds installed here, although the surface area of the rooms is minimal (between 8.74 sqm – room P.11 the smallest of them all and 9.76 sqm – room P.1- the largest room). The Centre’s representatives admit that they should remove the empty beds but have postponed this operation until the start of the renovation works. The square footage of the detainment areas on the ground floor is 88.53 sqm, i.e. less than half than the renovated area on the underground floor.

In one of the rooms we visited, the two women detained there complained about the malodour coming from the sewage system through the toilet and about the precarious hygienic conditions.

The doctor’s office

The doctor’s office is inside the Centre on the underground floor and serves both CPAD nr. 1 and all other pre-trial arrest and detention centres in Bucharest. This office is subordinated to the medical directorate of the Romanian Ministry of Internal Affairs. At the time of our visit, and from the discussion with the doctor who was present, the medical staff consists of 3 doctors, 2 of which are employed by the Romanian Ministry of Interior Affairs and a doctor employed with a collaboration agreement, and 5 nursing staff. There was a new job opening for a doctor, and the recruitment process for it was in progress. The three officers work in shifts and provide medical services between 08.00 – 23.00 daily. The increase in the number of doctors is appreciated since at the time of our last visit there was only one doctor for the entire facility. The current 3 doctors see an average of 15 patients per shift. The doctor’s office was equipped with a defibrillator and an EKG machine. If the detainees require dental procedures, then these are provided by a dentist from the clinic of the Romanian Ministry of Internal Affairs.

The doctor mentioned that, if the detainees request medical services in private clinics, then these are granted. The most common illnesses are mental health issues, which are treated by the medical specialist from the “Profesor Doctor Alexandru Obregia” Psychiatric Hospital. Behavioural and sleep disorders are quite common, mostly explained by the sudden switch between life on the outside and being incarcerated. Considering the high number of drug-addicted detainees, the cooperation with the Romanian Anti-Drug Agency is excellent. The yearly average of drug-addicted persons detained is between 500 and 600 persons. Starting with 2017 the drug addicts receive methadone treatment from the representatives of the Romanian Anti-Drug Agency, who come to the Centre upon request.

Activities, outside contacts and other rights

The detainees the APADOR -CH representatives, talked to, stated that they usually spend 20-30 minutes in the courtyard. The Centre has the same 4 courtyards even after the 2018 renovations, two at the underground floor for men of 3.81/3 m and two on the ground floor for women of 5.57/3.5 m. If during our previous visit the renovation of the courtyards were just a project for the future, at the date of our visit, we found out that the courtyards were renovated and a plexiglass roof was installed, which covers a third of the yard so that it is now possible to use the yard in any weather. All courtyards have a stationary bike and treadmill, bought with the help of the Norwegian Financial Mechanism. APADOR-CH really appreciates how the courtyards were renovated. The fitness machines offer some opportunities for physical activity, considering the limited space of these courtyards. However, the general appearance of the courtyards which are surrounded by 3-meter-high walls is still that of a small cage and not that of an outside area.

Compared to our last visit, the situation of the room for phone calls hasn’t changed. The supervisors’ desk is still in the same room, and from the discussions with the detainees, we concluded that the police agent responsible for this right is present in the room during the conversations. Just because the 3 phone numbers each detainee is allowed to call must be written down and the 30-minute timeframe needs tracking, this must not infringe on the detainees’ privacy. The Centre’s representative stated that they are planning to install a VoIP system in the rooms. We take note of the fact that not all telephones were functional and a telephony system similar to those used in prisons must be installed.

The room for conjugal visits was not ready at the time of our visit.

The Centre has a room for video calls or hearings, but the technical equipment is incomplete, quite outdated and not fully functional. APADOR-CH considers that as long as there was enough space in the administrative area which was used for this purpose, then this area must be appropriately equipped so that it observes the rights of detainees to online conversations (right foreseen by art. 65 of Law no. 254/2013 on the execution of prison sentences and detention orders), but it can also be used if the courts request to conduct any hearings via video call.

The Centre also has a new video surveillance system. We must note that this objective was just a hypothetical project during our last visit.

The detainees confirmed that when they entered into custody, they received all the necessary mandatory toiletries (a bar of soap, toilet paper and a safety razor and sanitary pads for the women). These products are given out one time when they enter in custody, but the detainees who do not receive any visits, these products are given out on an exceptional basis, if the detainment is prolonged.

The problem of observing the detainees’ rights to make small purchases for essential products (art. 70 of Law no. 254/2013) remains. The police agents still handle the matter personally, by making these purchases themselves and then distributing them to the detainees. APADOR-CH appreciates the initiative of the Centre’s representatives to launch a tender and invite numerous retailers to offer online shopping services for these products. Thus, the police agents will be able to buy the products online, and the products would be delivered directly to the Centre and then distributed to the detainees.

The positive changes compared to the last visit from July 2016 have been noted throughout the report as well as improvement of the detention conditions of CDAP No. 1.

Concluding remarks and recommendations

APADOR -CH reports that although the underground floor has been completely renovated, the Centre is still in need of funds for the renovation of the ground floor, where the women are detained. All 11 rooms with a total area surface of 88.53 sqm are in dire need of renovations.

Nicoleta Popescu

Dollores Benezic

Translator: Cristina Badea-Gutu

Raport privind vizita în Centrul de Reținere si Arestare Preventivă nr. 1 din București

30/07/2016/in Aresturi, Monitorizare condițiilor de detenție /by Rasista

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La data de 12 iulie 2016, doi reprezentanți APADOR-CH au vizitat Centrul de Reținere si Arestare Preventivă nr. 1 din București (CRAP 1) cunoscut publicului ca Arestul central. Vizita anterioară avusese loc în noiembrie 2011.

Particularități, efective, investiții

Arestul central este cel mai mare din București și are rol de coordonare a activității tuturor celorlalte aresturi. În incinta acestuia este amplasat cabinetul medical care deservește atât CRAP 1 cât și toate celelalte aresturi din București. Acest cabinet se află în subordinea Direcției medicale din MAI. La momentul vizitei, din relatările conducerii, personalul cabinetului medical era compus din: un medic (deși schema prevede 5 medici) care are program de lucru zilnic de la 8 la 16, și 5 asistenți (dintr-o schemă de 7). Centrul de reținere asigură transferul persoanelor private de libertate la toate centrele de reținere și arestare preventivă situate pe raza Capitalei, la unități penitenciare de pe raza teritorială a Municipiului București și Ilfov și se ocupă cu distribuirea hranei de la Penitenciarul Rahova către toate centrele de reținere din București.

Personalul arestului constă în 44 de agenți care lucrează în patru ture, un șef de birou și 3 ofițeri.

Conform directorului Centrului de reținere și arestare preventivă nr. 1, la nivelul centrului s-au realizat mai multe investiții în ultimii ani.

Aceste investiții au constat în:

Reconfigurarea accesului în cabinetul medical pentru cei care veneau din afara Centrului și refacerea cabinetului medical, inclusiv amenajarea unui spațiu în care să fie recoltate analize medicale;
Recompartimentarea bucătăriei și amenajarea de camere speciale pentru frigidere, două pentru bărbați și una pentru femei, în care sunt amplasate 29 de frigidere, câte unul pentru fiecare cameră;
Crearea unei biblioteci, în 2015;
Amenajarea unei camere destinate convorbirilor telefonice pentru femei;
Refacerea întregii instalații electrice pentru a putea fi montată instalația de aer condiționat;
Renovarea a șapte camere de vizită pentru grefa cu avocații și vizite ale aparținătorilor;
Au fost schimbate saltele în 2015, achiziționate noi lenjerii, paturi noi și veselă nouă.

În plus, în 2015, a fost realizată o dezinsecție totală, repetată în iunie 2016.

De asemenea, printr-un proiect finanțat prin Mecanismul Financiar Norvegian 2009-2014 au fost schimbate toate ferestrele, fiind înlocuite cu ferestre tip termopan, au fost instalate aparate de aer condiționat în toate camerele, inclusiv în cele de vizite, au fost schimbate obiectele sanitare (duș și WC tip turcesc) și urmează să fie instalate dispozitive de separare pentru camerele de vizită, până la finele anului 2016.

APADOR-CH semnalează faptul că nu ar trebui incluse dispozitive de separare la toate camerele de vizită, deoarece, conform Regulamentului de aplicare a Legii nr. 254/2013, minorilor li se acordă, de regulă, vizita fără dispozitive de separare, iar în mod excepțional arestații preventiv majori și persoanele condamnate aflate temporar în centrele de reținere și arestare preventivă pot beneficia de vizite fără dispozitive de separare (Articolul 248 alin (3,4)).

Alte investiții ce vor fi realizate în anul 2016, proiectele fiind aprobate, prevăd: renovarea completă a punctului de control acces, inclusiv mărirea spațiului pentru vizitatori, montarea unui nou sistem de camere de supraveghere mai performant decât cel existent.

Activități, corespondență, contacte cu exteriorul, alte drepturi

Persoanele private de libertate cu care au discutat reprezentanții APADOR-CH au afirmat că le este respectat dreptul la o oră pe zi de plimbare, dar că uneori chiar ei refuză să își exercite acest drept din cauza modului în care arată spațiul de plimbare. În cadrul centrului sunt 4 curți de plimbare, două la demisol, pentru bărbați, cu dimensiunile de 3.81/3 m, și două curți la parter, pentru femei, cu dimensiunile de 5.57/3.5 m. Spațiile de plimbare sunt foarte mici, iar persoanele private de libertate nu pot decât să stea în picioare și să se învârtă în cerc. De asemenea, zidurile sunt foarte înalte (aproximativ 3 m) și dată fiind dimensiunea redusă a curților de plimbare senzația pe care o oferă este cea de cușcă și nicidecum de aer liber.

Din discuțiile cu conducerea centrului a reieșit că urmează să aibă loc o reamenajare a acestor curți și chiar echiparea lor cu aparate de forță. APADOR-CH încurajează conducerea centrului de reținere să ducă la îndeplinire aceste planuri, dar totodată atrage atenția că spațiul oferit de aceste curți este foarte mic și sugerează, ca posibilă soluție, reamenajarea spațiului de plimbare prin unirea a câte două curți de plimbare, rezultând astfel două curți de plimbare de dimensiuni mai mari care pot asigura un cadru mai propice pentru exercitarea efectivă a dreptului la plimbare zilnică al persoanelor private de libertate.

Majoritatea camerelor sunt dotate cu televizoare funcționale.

Vizitele familiei, telefoanele către familie și grefa sunt permise săptămânal, iar convorbirile telefonice cu avocatul, în orice moment, la cerere. Corespondența este înregistrată la sosire. Cutia poștală este amplasată pe hol, deținuții având posibilitatea să își depună personal corespondența. Unele persoane private de libertate s-au plâns că scrisorile trimise sunt expediate cu întârziere sau corespondența le este adusă tot cu întârziere, deoarece factorul poștal vine doar o dată pe săptămână la Centru și nu în fiecare zi.

În camera destinată convorbirilor telefonice este amplasat și un birou, iar din discuțiile cu persoanele private de libertate a reieșit că în mod frecvent un agent este prezent în cameră în timpul convorbirilor. APADOR-CH atrage atenția că, în conformitate cu prevederile Articolului 65 din Legea nr.254/2013, „convorbirile telefonice au caracter confidențial și se efectuează sub supraveghere vizuală”.

Judecătorul de supraveghere a privării de libertate se prezintă numai în cazuri speciale (refuzul de hrană) iar arestații nu îi cunosc activitatea/atribuțiile.

Regulamentul de aplicare a Legii nr. 254/2013 privind executarea pedepselor și a măsurilor privative de libertate dispuse de organele judiciare în cursul procesului penal, aprobat în martie 2016, conferă și dreptul la vizită intimă (Articolul 249) pentru persoanele arestate preventiv. Conform Directorului centrului de reținere, a fost identificată o cameră care poate fi folosită pentru acordarea dreptului la vizită intimă, dar aceasta nu este încă amenajată pentru acest scop deoarece până la momentul vizitei nicio persoană privată de libertate nu a solicitat o vizită intimă. Din discuțiile cu persoanele private de libertate a reieșit că aceștia nu știau că au acest drept.

Centrul de reținere nu dispune nici de infrastructura necesară pentru a permite realizarea dreptului la comunicare online (Articolul 253 din Regulament).

În schimb Centrul de reținere poate asigura respectarea altor drepturi prevăzute în regulament, precum dreptul de acces la biblioteca (Articolul 265) amenajată în centru. De asemenea, 2 persoane private de libertate prestează muncă neremunerată în cadrul Centrului pentru a asigura curățenia. (conform Articolului 257).

APADOR-CH recomandă o mai bună informare a persoanelor private de libertatea cu privire la drepturile lor. Deși în camerele de deținere sunt disponibile fișe printate cu drepturile persoanelor private de libertate, aceasta sunt prezentate selectiv, dreptul la vizită intimă neregăsindu-se printre ele. De asemenea, este recomandabilă amenajarea camerei pentru vizită intimă.

Spaţii şi condiţii de detenţie, discuţii cu deţinuţii

La momentul vizitei în CRAP 1 erau 89 de persoane private de libertate, dintre care 52 de bărbați și 37 de femei. Conform directorului Centrului de reținere în ultimii ani nu au avut loc incidente violente sau decese.

Camerele au duș și WC tip turcesc, geamuri termopan cu gratii care permit pătrunderea luminii naturale.

Centrul dispune de 29 de camere de detenție, din care 11 pentru femei, situate la parter, cu dimensiuni între 8,18 și 9,18 mp (suprafață calculată fără a lua în calcul grupul sanitar). Celelalte 18 camere sunt la demisol și sunt destinate bărbaților, acestea având dimensiuni cuprinse între 6,92 mp și 14,02 m.p. În total sunt 197,21 mp care, raportați la numărul de persoane private de libertate indică faptul că în ziua vizitei nu era respectat standardul de 4 mp de spațiu pentru o persoană, femeile beneficiind doar de 2,55 mp pe persoană iar bărbații de 1, 97 mp, mult sub standardul aplicabil în materie. APADOR-CH critică nivelul extrem de supraaglomerare și solicită responsabililor să identifice soluții pentru a ameliora această situație.

Cu toate că, după declarațiile conducerii centrului, s-au realizat investiții în ultimii ani, la momentul vizitei multe dintre camere erau infestate de insecte (ploșnițe și gândaci) – de exemplu camerele 14 și 18 de la demisol – altele prezentau urme de igrasie, infiltrații de apă și condiții precare de igienă.

Persoanele private de libertate s-au plâns în special de mâncare, mulți afirmând că aceasta este de proastă calitate, de modul în care arătau camerele, de curțile de plimbare. Persoanele care au vorbit cu reprezentații APADOR-CH au susținut că nu au primit din partea arestului niciodată produse de igienă sau de curățire a camerei.

De asemenea mai multe persoane private de libertate s-au plâns de accesul la servicii medicale. De exemplu domnul I.I. a susținut că are hepatită C, pentru care a solicitat tratament și a cerut să fie consultat de un doctor. Cu toate acestea el susține că de cinci zile, de când a formulat solicitarea de a fi dus la medic, aceasta tot nu fusese aprobată.

Ca aspecte pozitive, asociația semnalează înlocuirea tâmplăriei în camerele de deținere și faptul că aparatele de aer condiționat funcționau.

Concluzii și recomandări

– APADOR-CH critică nivelul extrem de supraaglomerare și solicită centrului să identifice soluții pentru a ameliora această situație;

– APADOR-CH semnalează faptul că deși s-au realizat unele investiții, este în continuare nevoie de alocarea unor investiții de amploare care să vizeze printre altele și igienizarea întregului spațiu, o dezinsecție generală și eliminarea igrasiei și a infiltrațiilor de pe pereți;

– APADOR-CH recomandă amenajarea corespunzătoare a curților de plimbare.

Nicoleta Popescu

Cristinel Buzatu

Raport asupra vizitei în Centrul de Reținere și Arestare Preventivă nr. 4, București

29/07/2016/in Aresturi, Monitorizare condițiilor de detenție /by Rasista

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Pe data de 11 iulie 2016, doi reprezentanți APADOR-CH au vizitat Centrul de Reținere și Arestare Preventivă nr. 4 (CRAP 4) care funcționează în incinta Secției 6 Poliție cu sediul în București, str. Paul Greceanu, nr. 36, sector 2.

Particularități, efective, investiții

Centrul de Reținere si Arestare Preventivă nr. 4 este unul dintre cele 12 Centre de reținere și arestare preventivă care se află pe raza Capitalei. Centrul, situat la demisol, are 3 camere în care sunt cazate persoane private de libertate și o cameră dezafectată care nu poate fi folosită drept cameră de deținere deoarece este prea aproape de stradă. Cele 3 camere au următoarele suprafețe: camera 1 are 27,70 mp și sunt instalate 10 paturi; camera 2 are 14,36 mp și sunt instalate 6 paturi; camera 3 are 7,48 mp și sunt instalate 2 paturi;

La data vizitei în incinta Centrului nr. 4 se aflau 15 deținuți, toți bărbați majori, 14 erau arestați preventiv și un condamnat definitiv repartizați astfel: 7 persoane în camera 1, 6 persoane în camera 2 și 2 persoane în camera 3. Condamnatul definitiv își executa pedeapsa în arest la solicitarea Parchetului pentru a fi protejat de anumite persoane din penitenciar.

Suprafețele camerelor de deținere, așa cum ne-au fost furnizate de conducerea Centrului nu respectă standardul internațional de 4 mp / deținut. Raportat la numărul de persoane aflate în arest la data vizitei, în camera nr.1 fiecare deținut dispunea de 3,95 mp alocați, în camera 2 fiecare deținut dispunea de 2,39 mp iar în camera 3 fiecărui deținut îi revenea 3,74 mp. Fiecare cameră are alocat un spațiu situat la o înălțime de 2 trepte, extrem de mic, impropriu, unde se află WC turcesc, deasupra acestui WC este dușul iar alături este o chiuvetă.

Conform afirmațiilor responsabilului arestului și șefului secției de poliție nr. 6 în Centrul nr. 4 au fost realizate în ultimii ani următoarele investiții: în anul 2014 a fost realizată o renovare generală când Centrul a fost închis timp de 6 luni iar deținuții au fost repartizați la alte centre, în anul 2015 au fost montate, în fiecare cameră, aparate de aer condiționat în cadrul proiectului finanțat prin Mecanismul Financiar Norvegian 2009-2014, iar în anul 2016 a fost înlocuită vechea tâmplărie a geamurilor cu tâmplărie termopan.

Aparatele de aer condiționat deși montate în anul 2015, nu au funcționat până în prezent, deoarece rețeaua electrică a secției de poliției este subdimensionată și nu face față consumului. Până în prezent, de peste 1 an și jumătate, nu au fost alocate fonduri pentru refacerea instalației electrice la parametrii care să permită funcționarea aparatelor de aer condiționat. Funcționarea aparatelor de aer condiționat este imperios necesară, la data vizitei temperatura în camere era extrem de ridicată iar aerul era aproape irespirabil.

Personalul este format din 13 agenţi şi şeful arestului care lucrează în ture. Schema de personal este completă. Responsabilul Centrului a precizat că toți deținuții sunt primiți în centru după ce au efectuat vizita medicală care are loc la arestul central. Tot acolo sunt duși pentru alte controale medicale de rutină, iar în cazul urgențelor este chemată salvarea.

Ca activităţi în CRAP 4 există doar posibilitatea de a ieşi la curtea de plimbare de aproximativ 12 mp (1oră pe zi), sau a te uita la televizor, existent în fiecare cameră. Curtea de plimbare este acoperită cu tablă ondulată pe aproape 90% din suprafață, dublată de sârmă și gratie în care cu greu poți vedea cerul, fără nicio posibilitate de a desfăşura activităţi.

Telefonul este amplasat în singura cameră destinată personalului arestului şi funcţionează cu cartele. Telefonul nu este delimitat de o cabină care să asigure confidenţialitatea convorbirilor, astfel că agentul de pază stă lângă arestat în timpul apelului. În aceeași încăpere se află un spațiu impropriu destinat percheziției corporale în arest. Spațiul este de fapt un cuier improvizat unde se află hainele agenților acoperit de o draperie. Tot în această încăpere este și cutia poștală. Corespondența nu se înregistrează nici primire nici la expediere.

Persoanele private de libertate au în fiecare cameră o broșură care conține documente în care sunt menţionate drepturile şi obligaţiile lor, inclusiv un extras din noul Regulament de aplicare a Legii nr. 254/2013 privind executarea pedepselor și a măsurilor privative de libertate. Pe holul Centrului, erau afișate numele a doi judecători de supraveghere a privării de libertate care provin de la Judecătoria sectorului 2 însă nu și datele de contact ale acestora.

Camera unde au loc întâlnirile cu avocatul este o cameră improprie, plină de dulapuri metalice în care se află o masă și 2 scaune, iar agentul care asigură supravegherea vizuală stă pe hol, în afara camerei, cu ușa deschisă aceasta fiind singura posibilitate de a asigura supravegherea vizuală.

CRAP 4 este dotat cu camere de luat vederi care sunt amplasate pe hol, la intrarea în arest şi la curtea de plimbare. Conform responsabilului CRAP 4 imaginile sunt stocate doar pentru o scurtă perioadă de timp din cauza imposibilităţii tehnice.

Hrana provine de la penitenciarul Rahova și le este servită deținuților în camere. Deținuții s-au plâns de calitatea și gustul acesteia și au afirmat că de multe ori este imposibil de mâncat. Bucătăria este dotată cu un cuptor cu microunde, un fierbător de apă, o plită cu butelie care pot fi folosite de arestaţi, patru frigidere, câte unul pentru fiecare cameră unde își pot păstra hrana de la aparţinători şi unul unde sunt păstrate probele din mâncare. Pentru cumpărături personalul centrului întocmeşte liste pe baza cărora se fac cumpărături, deținuții au voie să facă cumpărături o dată la 2 săptămâni, în valoare de 1800 de lei pe lună.

Regulamentului de aplicare a Legii nr. 254/2013 privind executarea pedepselor și a măsurilor privative de libertate, aprobat prin Hotărârea nr. 157 din 10 martie 2016, conferă și dreptul la vizită intimă (Articolul 249) pentru persoanele arestate preventiv. În acest CRAP nu există posibilitatea amenajării acestei camere intime din cauza lipsei de spațiu.

Reprezentanții asociaţiei au vizitat toate cele 3 camere de deținere. Spațiul utilizat în CRAP nr.4 este situat în demisolul unei clădiri vechi, care se află într-o stare improprie utilizării ca arest. Atât pe holul arestului cât și în toate camere de deținere există infiltrații pe pereți, pereți scorojiți cu tencuiala căzută, mucegai și o stare precară de igienă. Micul spațiu din fiecare cameră amenajat pe post de toaletă și duș are treptele din gresie spartă (camera nr.2), țevile ruginite și lipsit de ventilație prin urmare aburul de la apa caldă se imprimă pe pereți unde creează condens transformat în mucegai care apoi se răspândește în cameră. Din această cauză toate saltele miros a mucegai. Deținuții nu primesc din partea arestului produse de igienizare a camerelor și își cumpără din banii personali dezinfectant pentru toaletă, astfel încât mirosul din cameră să fie suportabil.

În camera nr.1 mai există 2 paturi amplasate pe 3 niveluri, deținuții plângându-se că este imposibil să poți avea acces și să poți sta în ultimul pat de sus. Asociația recomandă demontarea celui de al treilea rând de paturi.

Concluzii și recomandări

– Asociaţia recomandă cu prioritate refacerea de urgență a instalației electrice astfel încât să poată fi pusă in funcțiune instalația de aer condiționat, deoarece în camere căldura e insuportabilă iar aerul irespirabil;

– Este necesară igienizarea întregului spațiu şi eliminarea igrasiei și a infiltrațiilor de pe pereţi;

– APADOR-CH recomandă amenajarea corespunzătoare a curţii de plimbare.

Nicoleta Popescu

Cristinel Buzatu

Raport asupra vizitei la Centrul de reţinere şi arestare preventivă din subordinea Inspectoratului de Poliţie al Judeţului Cluj

15/07/2016/in Aresturi, Monitorizare condițiilor de detenție /by Rasista

Sorry, this entry is only available in Română. For the sake of viewer convenience, the content is shown below in the alternative language. You may click the link to switch the active language.

La data de 28 iunie 2016 două reprezentante APADOR-CH au vizitat Centrul de reținere și arestare preventivă (CRAP) din subordinea Inspectoratului de Poliție al Județului Cluj (IPJ). Vizita anterioară avusese loc pe 25 septembrie 2013. Cu acea ocazie APADOR-CH a recomandat închiderea imediată a arestului deoarece condițiile de detenție erau sub orice critică. Camerele erau foarte mici, nu aveau ferestre, bec sau grup sanitar în interior, podeaua și pereții erau tot timpul umede iar aerul mirosea a urină și mucegai.

Evoluția condițiilor de detenție de la vizita anterioară, alte aspecte generale

CRAP Cluj se află în continuare la demisolul clădirii IPJ Cluj, însă au fost efectuate lucrări consistente de renovare și îmbunătățire a condițiilor de detenție. Șeful arestului a afirmat că au fost utilizate în acest scop fonduri norvegiene, lucrările fiind începute în noiembrie 2015 și finalizate în primăvara acestui an.

Concret, lucrările au constat în:

eliminarea infiltrațiilor de apă din pereți și podele;
mărirea și recompartimentarea camerelor de deținere prin diminuarea suprafeței holurilor;
dotarea tuturor camerelor cu grup sanitar propriu (WC, chiuvetă și duș metalice);
instalarea unor ferestre la camere care dau spre hol, care la rândul lui este mult mai luminos pentru că are ferestre mult mai mari;
dotarea camerelor cu aparate de aer condiționat care compensează oarecum lipsa totală a ventilației naturale;
dotarea camerelor cu televizoare;
schimbarea mobilierului și a saltelelor;
dotarea arestului cu două mașini de spălat pentru uzul arestaților;
instalarea unor panouri de plexiglas pe acoperișurile curților de plimbare pentru ca acestea să poată fi folosite și pe timp de ploaie.

Șeful arestului a mai afirmat că în continuare se fac demersuri pentru mutarea arestului, în așa fel încât să nu mai fie la subsol. În acest sens există un proiect de preluare a unei clădiri care aparține jandarmeriei.

Holurile arestului sunt supravegheate video, iar imaginile sunt stocate 30 de zile. Încăperile destinate percheziției corporale și vizitelor sunt amenajate corespunzător, însă nu există încă posibilitatea de a se acorda vizite intime (posibilitatea prevăzută de noul regulament de aplicare a Legii nr. 254/2013) din motive procedurale, în sensul că este nevoie de legislație terțiară (un Ordin al Ministrului de Interne care să detalieze modul de acordare a acestor vizite).

În arestul IPJ Cluj se practică în continuare încătușarea automată la scoaterea din arest, cu unele mici excepții, de exemplu în cazul unor femei. Conform șefului arestului, procurorul este anunțat de îndată ce un arestat prezintă urme de violență sau afirmă că a fost bătut iar pentru cazuri de afecțiuni medicale acute și grave este chemată ambulanța.

Două telefoane și o cutie poștală sunt amplasate pe holurile arestului. Telefoanele nu sunt protejate de vreun dispozitiv care să asigure confidențialitatea convorbirilor. Conform agenților din arest există resurse pentru a asigura hârtia, plicurile și timbrele necesare pentru acei deținuți care nu dispun de propriile resurse.

Judecătorul de supraveghere este cel de la Penitenciarul Gherla și se deplasează în CRAP Cluj la cerere, în general pentru refuz de hrană. Conform reprezentanților arestului, dar și unor deținuți, toți cei încarcerați sunt informați că această instituție există și ce atribuții are.

Efective, spații de deținere, personal

La momentul vizitei erau în centru 19 persoane, toți bărbați, dintre care 16 arestați preventiv, 2 reținuți și 1 condamnat, aflat în tranzit. Arestul găzduiește când este cazul și femei și minori (aceștia din urmă pentru perioade foarte scurte, de ordinul zilelor).

CRAP Cluj dispune acum de 8 camere de detenție, organizate pe două secții – 1 cu 8 paturi, 3 cu 6 paturi, 2 cu 4 paturi și 2 cu două paturi. Suprafața care revine unei persoane este acum foarte aproape de standardele minimale internaționale – de exemplu, în camera 5A la data vizitei erau 6 paturi pe o suprafață de aproximativ 22 mp (23,85 incluzând baia) ceea ce înseamnă aproape 4 mp/persoană. Dacă ținem cont și de faptul că doar jumătate dintre paturi erau ocupate la data vizitei și de afirmațiile agenților că în ultima perioadă nu au fost niciodată ocupate toate, putem spune că arestul nu mai este supraaglomerat. Clădirea IPJ Cluj are centrală termică proprie și arestul este astfel asigurat cu suficientă căldură pe timp de iarnă. Apa caldă este disponibilă permanent.

Cele câteva curți de plimbare, de aproximativ 10 mp fiecare, nu sunt dotate pentru desfășurarea de activități fizice. Arestații sunt scoși zilnic la aer câte o oră. A fost amenajată într-o fostă curte de plimbare o sală care urmează a fi dotată cu echipament sportiv. Pe secția 2 au mai fost amenajate o bibliotecă și o sală de comunicări online.

Conducerea arestului a afirmat că personalul este suficient, inclusiv femei (pentru percheziția deținutelor femei), însă nu a furnizat date certe privind numărul exact al angajaților din CRAP Cluj.

Cabinetul medical existent în arest este o cameră mică și nu are propriul medic. Asistența medicală este asigurată zilnic și la fiecare încarcerare de personal angajat al Centrului medical județean al poliției.

Din afirmațiile șefului arestului a existat un caz de îmbolnăvire gravă în ultimul timp și anume o persoană consumatoare de droguri (așa-numitele etnobotanice) care a intrat în sevraj. Nu au existat însă cazuri de dependență de droguri care să necesite tratament substitutiv deoarece în zonă nu s-ar consuma heroină, însă nici nu ar exista posibilitatea acordării de tratament substitutiv în cazul în care un arestat s-ar declara consumator de droguri. Pentru consumatorii de droguri există doar suport de natură psihologică pe care îl acorda centrul zonal al Agenției Naționale Antidrog. Nu există nici prezervative pentru prevenirea răspândirii infecțiilor pe cale sexuală, iar reprezentanții arestului au afirmat că relațiile sexuale consimțite sunt “o problemă pe care încercăm să o evităm”. APADOR-CH reamintește că tratamentul substitutiv și măsurile de prevenire a transmiterii infecțiilor pe cale sexuală sunt nu numai legale ci extrem de necesare pentru sănătate publică și solicită IGPR să ia măsuri pentru remedierea acestei încălcări a regulamentului de aplicare a Legii nr. 254/2013 (Art. 241 alin 3 din regulament).

Hrana arestaţilor

Hrana este în continuare furnizată de penitenciarul Gherla și nu este considerată bună de deținuți cu excepția ciorbelor. CRAP Cluj dispune de 2 frigidere unde arestații își păstrează hrana primită de la aparținători și pe cea cumpărată. Cumpărăturile se fac săptămânal de către angajați ai arestului pe baza listelor întocmite de deținuți.

Vizita în camere

Reprezentantele asociației au vizitat 4 camere de deținere și au discutat cu deținuții. Camerele erau curate și dotate corespunzător: paturi metalice cu sertare, saltele și lenjerie curate, grup sanitar propriu în stare bună, sistem de alarmare, televizor, neon pe timpul zilei și lumină de veghe noaptea, aer condiționat. Aparatele de aer condiționat sunt pornite și oprite de agenți la cerere (după cum am precizat, camerele au doar geamuri care dau spre hol).

Cu o singură excepție, arestații nu au avut nimic de reproșat. Excepția a fost un arestat care se plângea că i-au fost confiscați bani, dar și că mâncarea e proastă și că nu este scos la medic când are nevoie. Din discuția cu șeful arestului a reieșit că, de fapt, se instituise sechestru asupra unei sume de bani găsite asupra lui în momentul arestării. Totuși, arestatul respectiv nu părea că înțelege cu adevărat ce se întâmplă și se considera victima unor abuzuri motiv pentru care și declarase recent refuz de hrană. Asociația recomandă conducerii arestului să îi asigure arestatului asistență de natură psihologică.

Concluzii și recomandări

APADOR-CH apreciază eforturile făcute pentru îmbunătățirea condițiilor din arestul IJP Cluj și consideră că în actualul amplasament s-a făcut tot ce era posibil. Cu toate acestea, asociația recomandă continuarea demersurilor pentru amenajare arestului în alt loc, la nivel suprateran, care să permită iluminatul și ventilația naturale a camerelor de deținere.
Asociația reamintește că acordarea de tratament substitutiv pentru consumatorii de droguri și măsurile de prevenire a răspândirii infecțiilor (in special HIV și hepatite) sunt obligații legale și nerespectarea lor afectează sănătatea publică. Ca urmare, APADOR-CH solicită măsuri urgente pentru remediere situației.

Maria-Nicoleta Andreescu

Dollores Benezic

Is pre-trial detention used as last resort measure in Romania?

05/02/2016/in Aresturi, Speciale /by Rasista

This publication has been produced with the financial support of the Criminal Justice Programme of the European Commission. The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of the Association for the Defence of Human Rights in Romania- the Helsinki Committee (APADOR-CH) and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Commission.

Pre-trial detention in Romania is applied significantly more often than other alternative preventive measures. Recent changes to the law have reduced the use of pre-trial detention, but there is little research analysing the nature of pre-trial detention decision-making and whether pre-trial detention is applied lawfully and the defence’s rights are safeguarded throughout the procedure. These aspects are assessed in this report.

As part of an EU-funded project, a common research methodology was applied in 10 EU Member States, with research data gathered through the monitoring of pre-trial detention hearings, analysing case files, as well as surveying defence lawyers and interviewing judges and prosecutors. In the course of the Romanian research, 19 hearings were observed, 67 case-files analysed, 23 defence lawyers surveyed, and 6 judges and 2 prosecutors interviewed.

APADOR-CH has identified a serious of problematic issues that require the attention of various stakeholders at the national level.

Decision-making procedure: Despite extensive defence rights provided by law, in reality the practical enjoyment of these rights remains limited. Lawyers are often only notified shortly before hearings, and have only 30 minutes to study the case file. Even judges will sometimes have insufficient time to read the file, and therefore rely too strongly on the prosecutor’s arguments. Evidence in favour of detention is rarely provided by the prosecution, and lawyers are not able to provide evidence to counter the arguments for detention.
The substance of decisions: Many national courts fail to provide substantial reasoning for pre-trial detention orders. The research demonstrated that the most common reason given for ordering detention is that the accused presents a potential danger to the public, followed by the risk of reoffending and flight risk. Yet, the researchers discovered that in fact the severity of the offence is usually the real reason for ordering pre-trial detention, albeit in violation of ECtHR-standards. 70% of lawyers surveyed have encountered pre-trial detention being ordered on unlawful grounds. The researchers observed several cases in which the pre-trial detention order was poorly motivated and a less restrictive alternative measure would arguably have been sufficient.
Use of alternatives to detention: Despite different alternatives to detention being available by law, including house arrest, judicial supervision and bail, they are rarely used. Judges are reluctant to consider non-custodial alternatives to detention as they consider them to be less effective. In the vast majority of cases reviewed during the research, alternatives to pre-trial detention were not even considered.
4. Review of pre-trial detention: Although in all cases observed and case files reviewed, the pre-trial detention decision was reviewed in compliance with the law, the initial decision to detain was generally upheld, often based on the same reasons as in the previous order, and alternatives were never ordered. In the cases observed and reviewed, no new evidence was provided at the review stage.
Case outcomes: None of the defendants in the case files reviewed were acquitted; in fact the vast majority was convicted to a custodial sentence longer than the time spent in detention pre-trial. However, a chosen lawyer might enhance the likelihood of a lower sentence as these have less clients and more time to prepare each case. 68% of all defendants in the case files reviewed pleaded guilty.

Given that the ECtHR-standards are often not upheld in practice during the judicial decision-making process on pre-trial detention, it is recommended that a number of priorities need to be identified in order to tackle these problems. The main recommendations are the following:

Urgent adoption of the Interpretation and Translation Directive (2010/64/EU) which is crucial in ensuring the right to trial and the right to defence guaranteed by the ECHR to defendants, who do not speak or understand the language of the court. Proactive measures also need to be taken by the state to oversee the proper and effective implementation of the Right to Information Directive (2012/13/EU), and the Access to a Lawyer Directive (2013/48/EU). In particular the implementation of the Right to Information Directive which provides access to case-file is essential to effectively challenge the lawfulness of detention.
An increase in the fee of legal aid lawyers and an increase in the number of judges who deal with pre-trial detention cases, to ensure both can spend more time on each case.
Trainings regarding the national law and the standards of the ECtHR concerning pre-trial detention should be provided to all lawyers involved in the procedure of pre-trial detention, especially to the ones who are appointed by the state.
Judges and prosecutors should also be trained in the application of ECHR-standards in the context of pre-trial detention. Despite judgments of the ECtHR against Romania for breaching Article 5 ECHR, the situation has not changed systemically in the areas identified by the ECtHR as problematic. All responsible authorities for the implementation of judgments should present action plans to address the underlying issues.
The provisions of the new criminal procedure code concerning non-custodial alternatives for detention should be completed by secondary legislation concerning the practical application of preventive measures.
Judicial supervision should also verify the correct application of these preventive measures.
Sufficient resources (both human and technical) must be put in place to ensure the effectiveness of non-custodial measures, which would lead to increased judicial confidence.

APADOR-CH is aware of the fact that some recommendations require financial resources and therefore might take time to be addressed. But this report also includes practical steps to be taken to correct some of the gaps identified in the application of the law and practice related to pre-trial detention in Romania. The organisation will continue to work with all parties interested in the promotion of good practices in the field.

For a full list of recommendations see in Section X on page 44 – 46.

Read entire report here: Pre-trial detention in Romania – by APADOR-CH