Representatives of the Ombudsman checked the state of human rights compliance in the Pryluky correctional colony

On December 15, 2015, as part of the activities of the National Preventive Mechanism, a monitoring group consisting of the regional coordinator for public relations of the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights in Chernihiv region Alla Lepekha and the head of the Chernihiv Public Committee for the Protection of Human Rights Viktor Tarasov checked the observance of the rights of minors serving sentences in the Pryluky correctional colony.

This is a return visit to this institution. In May 2014, representatives of the Secretariat of the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights, the United Nations Children’s Fund in Ukraine (UNICEF) and public monitors visited the colony and provided the department with recommendations on eliminating the identified shortcomings.

During this monitoring visit, special attention was paid to eliminating the shortcomings identified during the previous visit. In addition, during the visit, the monitors drew attention to the implementation of measures to prevent mistreatment of inmates. During confidential communication with the convicts, none of them expressed complaints about mistreatment of them by the institution’s employees. During communication, the inmates behaved freely, noted the appropriate attitude of the staff, the professional work of psychologists and educators, and friendly relations among themselves.

During the visit, there were 78 convicts in the institution, among whom 33% of the inmates had already reached the age of 18.

During the visit to the institution, the living conditions, education of the inmates, their employment, the implementation of their right to communicate with parents and relatives, and work to prepare for release were studied.

The members of the monitoring visit confirmed the successful implementation of the rights of the inmates to secondary education, the educational process is organized at a fairly high level in the institution.

During confidential communication with the convicts, the monitoring group received complaints about inadequate nutrition (insufficient amount of meat and fish), as well as overpriced fees for using the long-term visit rooms (61.15 UAH per 1 bed per day during the unheated period). In addition, the members of the monitoring visit note that the conditions of stay of the convicts in the quarantine, diagnostic and distribution section do not meet modern requirements and standards.