One of the specific activities that APADOR-CH employs in reaching its goals is carrying out fact-findings visits in penitentiaries (since 1995) and police lock-ups (since 1993). During these visits, APADOR-CH experts asses to what extent the rights prescribed by law regarding detention conditions are met in practice by talking to inmates and staff members, visiting detention facilities, and examining relevant documents. They also seek to identify any cases of mistreatment and brutality, providing legal counseling to victims of such acts.
These visits are unannounced, targeting prisons and police lock-ups all over Romania. In 2013 alone, APADOR-CH visited 17 prisons, police arrests and reeducation centers. Of these, 3 were juvenile prisons (Tichilești, Targu Mures and Bacau); one was a juveniles reeducation center (Targu Ocna); 8 were penitentiaries (Rahova, Margineri, Gherla, Timisoara, Targsor, Slobozia, Arad, Tulcea); and 5 were police lock-ups (Mehedinti, Cluj, Timis, Tulcea, Constanta). APADOR-CH wrote monitoring reports after each visit and you can find them in the „Reports” section.
These visits confirm that Romanian detention facilities are still plagued with serious problems; they fall short of European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) and European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) standards, and in many instances lead to serious human rights violations