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English Language Page 1.8.1. General data At the time of the visit the Juvenile Correctional Center occupied a wing in the Shutka prison. It had several buildings and workshops in Tetovo, which it abandoned during the armed conflict in 2001. They were still not returned because of an alleged conflict with a local Muslim organization, which claimed to own part of the institution’s land. The government did not assist the quick solution of the problem and thus forced the minors to live in harsh conditions in a prison for adults, where they mixed with them at the sports field every day. All personnel, including the Director, the teachers and the security guards, travel every day from Tetovo, which is about an hour drive from Skopje. The capacity of the center was 25 persons. On the day of the visit, 21 prisoners were accommodated there. The center housed boys from 14 to 18 years of age. However, the juveniles could stay until they turned 23. They could spend between one and five years in the institution. When they first came, they did not have a definite sentence. The length of stay depended on their behavior. This is the only correction institution for boys of this type in Macedonia. The institution’s personnel is divided into five groups. The Educational Department consists of nine persons including psychologists, pedagogues, social workers and a psychiatrist. They were involved in preparing programs for individual treatment and resocialization. The second group were the vocational instructors, who teach both theory and practice of carpentry, woodcarving, painting, metal work, etc. The third group were the security guards. There were 10 guards, most of them working in shifts. The fourth and the fifth groups of the personnel were the health unit, consisting of only one medical professional and the financial and administrative unit. 1.8.2. Categories of inmates, segregation of detainees and its purpose Minors at the Juvenile Correctional Center had committed different crimes: robberies, murders, car accidents, rape, theft, etc. All of them were first-time offenders. If they committed a second crime they are sent to the juvenile prison in Ohrid. The decision to place juveniles in the center came from a judge and is taken at a public hearing, with the presence of a prosecutor and representatives from the National Center for Social Work. The decision to end the stay is taken by a committee consisting of court representatives, the prosecutor’s office, the Center for Social Work and the center staff (usually the Director and members of the Educational Department). The correctional center is divided into three units. Newly-arrived minors, together with those with bad behavior, are put in the closed unit, where they are under close surveillance and stricter rules. If they show progress in their education and behavior they are moved to the semi-open unit. If they show further progress they are moved to the open unit, where they have more privileges, such as home leave and more visits from their families. Placement in those three units was the only form of segregation at the correctional center. 1.8.3. Material conditions and hygiene At the time of the visit the building was not very well maintained because the placement of the institution at the Shutka prison was considered temporary. All bedrooms were on the second floor of the building. The first floor housed a day room, which was used as a classroom for the school and as a workshop for the vocational training classes. This room was also used as a dining room. There were six bedrooms on the second floor, with three-four beds each. One of the rooms was called a “temporary room” and newly-admitted boys were placed there until they adapted to the conditions of the institution. That room was in a worse condition as compared to the others, with some of the furniture being broken and worn off. According to the Director, the boys could sometimes be very destructive to the room equipment until they get used to the institution and that was why it was in such condition. Usually, boys spent about a month or two in this room. At the time of the visit only one boy was placed in this room. The room itself was 12 sq. m. and had four beds. It had two desks, two chairs and two cupboards. The room and the bedding were dirty. The other cells were much nicer and cleaner. They were “permanent cells” where juveniles were placed once they get accustomed to the order in the institution. They were the same size as the temporary one – 3 x 4 m2 and had nice curtains on the windows, carpets on the floor, many posters and pictures on the walls, some of which were showing semi-naked women. The bedding, blankets and mattresses were clean. There were cupboards, some of which were locked, and shelves. There were also radios and tape recorders. Rooms were heated by a central heating system, integrated with the rest of the prison. There was one toilet and one bathroom in the entire facility. They were clean and in a good condition. Buying hygiene materials was a responsibility of the prisoners and their families. If however they were not able to provide them, the Director would buy some with budget money. The center had a small yard with access to a sports field. Apart from a wooden shelter at the yard, there was no other shade. On the day of the visit it was very sunny and hot, the temperature was above 30°C. All the prisoners had found shelter in the shade, including the two members of the staff. Everybody was just sitting and not doing anything. The space was limited and several people had to stand up. The members of the delegation asked why there was no bigger shelter. The answer of the Director was that there was no money to do it. The delegation managed to talk to several boys. They mentioned a number of problems. First, they complained of the bad material conditions, small space and lack of cupboards. The second complaint concerned the food, which they thought was not tasty and was the same all the time. Third, boys complained that adult prisoners coming to this part of prison (soccer field or TV room) provoked them. The IHF delegation was left with the impression that the relationships between the prisoners and the staff were not very good. The prisoners complained that they were not allowed to watch the European Soccer Championship. The Director confirmed this, but provided a rather vague explanation of his decision. The prisoners also complained of the behavior of some educators, who were hostile to them. 1.8.4. Food Food in the center was consistent with religion. No pork was served. Minors were served four meals a day. Meat was served almost every day. On the day of the visit the delegates saw the lunch and the food seemed tasty and well prepared. It is prepared at the kitchen of the Shutka prison. According to the menu that was hanging on the wall, for the week of the visit, on Monday 17,705 KgJ (4,230 kilocalories) were served, on Tuesday – 20,201 KgJ (4,824 kilocalories) and on Wednesday – 16,170 KgJ (3,860 kilocalories). The caloric values seemed a bit exaggerated. Some of the prisoners complained that the food was tasteless and that the quantity was not enough. Others, however, liked it. Prisoners whose families come to visit them received food parcels regularly. The others do not have access to food beside the one that is served. 1.8.5. Medical care There was a medical center at the Shutka prison, serving also the Juvenile Correctional Center. It consisted of two rooms, equipped with a couch, a cupboard with medications, and a sterilizing machine. The staff consisted of one nurse and a medical doctor, who came from Tetovo twice a week. The doctor was hired by the center and the nurse - by the director of the adult prison. A neuro-psychiatrist also visited the prison occasionally to examine patients. If there was a need for specialized medical care, the juveniles were taken to an outside clinic. When a prisoner wanted to be seen by a doctor, he had to tell the security guards in the evening. The next morning he would be examined by the nurse and, if needed, he would be seen by a doctor or a specialist. There were several drug-addicts and juveniles infected with Hepatitis C. They were not separated from the rest. The Director said that the prisoners are examined each year for TB. There were no cases of HIV or TB on the day of the delegation’s visit. 1.8.6. Work in the prison Finding employment for juveniles was a big problem, especially after the institution was moved to Shutka, where there were no equipped workshops. Vocational training in the center was more theoretical explanation than practice. The Director said that sometimes he was able to provide some work for the juveniles. Money could be given to the prisoners only under the control of educators. The Director said that soon a workshop was to be created on the premises of the Shutka prison that would serve the vocational training needs of the Juvenile Correctional Center. 1.8.7. Discipline and punishment There were several disciplinary measures used at the center: reprimand, public reprimand and withdrawal of benefits for a period of three months. Benefits include home leave, additional visits, phone calls and parcels. The most severe disciplinary punishment is placement in a disciplinary cell. However, according to the Director, the latter has never been used because under Macedonian law it is forbidden to place juveniles in solitary confinement.[ This however is not true: see 1.5.7.] For disciplinary purposes the prisoners could be moved to the semi-open or closed units and could lose a lot of their privileges. The guards did not carry guns and truncheons. Use even of truncheons is prohibited. The delegation was told that guards may use physical force to break prisoners apart in cases of inter-prisoner violence. 1.8.8. Contacts with the outside world The Director and the staff from the Educational Department insisted that the juveniles should have frequent contacts with their families and relatives. They said that they even searched for distant relatives or neighbors of the prisoners whose families do not visit them. Friends or girlfriends were not allowed to visit the juveniles, only if they come with the parents of the minors. There was no limitation on visits and meetings with families. According to the Director, families and relatives could come every day and could visit their children. Usually, however, meetings took place outside of the prison and relatives were allowed to take the juveniles out for five hours every second week. There was no special room for meetings. The Director and the educators decided on who should be allowed to visit the prisoners. They were also allowed to go home for the weekend twice a month. In addition, every month the prisoners were taken outside the institution to watch a movie, a theater play or a sports event. 1.8.9. Activities The small space and the lack of equipment in the center did not allow for much organized activities to take place. There was a primary school in the center, named Anton Makarenko and the juveniles were required to finish the 8th grade by law. School classes took place in the day room. Based on the level of education and abilities of the juveniles, they were placed in a vocational training program. Upon successful completion, they received a diploma, which did not reveal the nature of the institution. Vocational classes were also held in the day room and there was no workshop where the students could practice. The prisoners could play sports. Unfortunately, the sports field was used by the adult prisoners from Shutka too and they mix with the juveniles. That creates problems for the juveniles who complained to the delegation that the prisoners sometimes threatened them and abused them physically. The juveniles also complained that every evening, even during the summer, they were not allowed to watch TV later than 8:30 or 9 p.m. After that they had to go to bed. They were even not allowed to watch a single game from the European Soccer Championship. 1.8.10. Inspections The Juvenile Correction Center was visited by representatives of the Ministry of Justice about once a year. The other institutions that visit the prison included the court and the Center for Social Work. In addition, NGOs like the Macedonian Helsinki Committee and the media also visited the center with the permission of the government. |
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