During the visit, the CPT focused on the treatment of persons held in police custody, several prisons and two security detention facilities. It also examined the situation of juveniles placed in an educational institution. The CPT also continued its dialogue with the Czech authorities on the use of surgical castration in the treatment of sex offenders.

The vast majority of persons interviewed by the delegation made no allegations of ill-treatment by the police. The CPT did however receive a few allegations of excessively tight handcuffing, both at the time of apprehension and during subsequent escorts.

Moreover, the information available to the CPT indicates that ill-treatment and possibly disproportionate (and sometimes lethal) use of force by the police has not yet been fully eradicated in the Czech Republic. Several cases of use of force by police officers, which are in the public domain, are summarised in the report. The authorities should remain vigilant to any signs of ill-treatment, abuse of power, and unnecessary and disproportionate use of force by police officers.

As regards Olešnice Educational Institution, many juveniles spoke positively of staff and the overall atmosphere in the establishment was good. Nevertheless, a few isolated allegations were heard of juveniles being slapped and punched in the head and shoulders by one particular member of staff. Material conditions in the Institution were very good and the CPT appreciates that this gives the impression of a genuinely educational, rather than carceral facility.

The CPT visited for the first time Opava and Prague-Pankrác Security Detention Facilities.
 The delegation received no allegations of ill-treatment and material conditions were on the whole adequate in both establishments. However, all the premises of Prague-Pankrác, and the cells at Opava were austere and impersonal, and lacked any colour or decoration.

The Committee gained a positive impression overall of the treatment and activities provided to inmates. However, group therapies and other organised activities during which prison officers were not present were systematically carried out by staff through metal bars. The CPT considers that systematic contact with inmates through bars whenever prison officers are not present is a practice which cannot be described as conducive to the development of a genuine therapeutic relationship, and is potentially degrading to both inmates and staff.

At Prague-Pankrác Security Detention Facility, there were a number of vacant posts, both for specialist and custodial staff, and attracting suitably qualified staff was considered a major challenge. Indeed, the establishment’s operation was temporarily suspended in the months following the CPT visit, apparently due to the lack of staff.

The CPT visited for the first time Oráčov and Rýnovice Prisons and carried out a follow-up visit to Valdice Prison. The vast majority of prisoners made no allegations of ill-treatment. However, a few isolated allegations were received of physical ill-treatment by staff at Valdice and of verbal abuse at Rýnovice and Valdice Prisons. Inter-prisoner violence was a challenge in all three prisons visited and the Committee welcomes the efforts being made to tackle the phenomenon.

Premises and accommodation units were generally clean and in an adequate state of repair. However, it is recommended to remedy the inappropriate cage-like living conditions in a building at Valdice, and the generally very poor material conditions of the disciplinary units, in particular in Oráčov and Valdice Prisons.

The CPT acknowledges the efforts made across the three establishments visited to increase work opportunities, vocational training and other special educational programmes tailored to the prisoners’ individual needs. However, staff shortages and recent funding cuts had had a significant negative impact on the regime offered in prisons.

The levels of nursing and medical cover, including in psychiatry, appeared generally insufficient to meet the needs of the prison population in the establishments visited. Moreover, the Committee has misgivings about the overall organisation and coordination of healthcare services within each establishment. However, the CPT welcomes the establishment of the Ministry of Justice Health Care Facilities which removes the supervision of healthcare staff from the authority of the prison governors, thereby enhancing the independence of healthcare services in Czech prisons. The Committee encourages the development of a system of effective quality control.

The CPT is critical of the practice of fixating violent and/or recalcitrant prisoners and those threatening to commit self-harm, to fixed objects such as radiators or other items of furniture, or to a bed in a non-medical setting. It considers that the practice of initiating disciplinary proceedings following instances of self-harm or attempted suicide should be ended immediately as this is totally inappropriate.

The number of approved applications for surgical castration continues to be relatively low, in comparison with the number of interventions actually carried out some two decades ago. However, that in itself cannot remove the Committee’s fundamental objection to surgical castration, which could easily be considered as amounting to degrading treatment. The CPT once again urges the Czech authorities to put a definitive end to surgical castration as a means of treatment of sex offenders.

The report has been made public under the automatic publication procedure, in accordance with the agreement with the Czech authorities.

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