General Directorate of the Corps of Prison and Court Guard (SK)

• Custody of Young Offenders
• Execution of Penal Sanctions
• Guarding of non-prison facilities (e.g. court buildings)
• Prison Labour
• Prisoner Education
• Prisoner Escorting
• Prisoner Healthcare

Prison and Court Guard Service has been established under the Act No. 4/2001 Coll. on Prison and Court Guard Service (hereinafter the “Service”) and is characterized as armed security forces who perform tasks related to remand detention, correctional imprisonment, property security of the facility objects and its surroundings and the protection of public order and safety in the premises of the court, prosecution office buildings and its surroundings. The service is formed by the General Directorate, remand prisons, correctional facilities, facilities for the juveniles and the hospital for the accused and convicted (hereinafter referred to as the “Facility”. The General Directorate and facilities as budgetary organizations are established and dissolved by the Ministry of Justice of the Slovak Republic. Directorate General manages and controls the facilities. The Service is subordinate to the Minister of Justice (hereinafter referred to as the “Minister”). The head of the Service is the General Manager, who is appointed and dismissed from the function by the Minister. General Manager is responsible for his activities to the Minister. The head of the Facility is a Manager, who is appointed and dismissed from the function by the General Manager. Manager of the facility is responsible for his activities to the General Manager.

Scope of operation of the Service

1. provides the execution of the remand detention and correctional imprisonment,
2. provides protection of buildings and objects of the detention facility,
3. provides surveillance of the accused in remand detention and convicted and supervision of the imprisoned,
4. provides immediate persecution of the accused during their escape from remand detention, sentenced during their escape from imprisonment or prisoners who illegally walk away from the open compartment of the facility or unattended work place outside the facility or persons placed in a detention facility if they are on their escape from the detention facility,
5. provides penitentiary care to the accused in remand detention and convicted,
6. secures conditions focused on employment of accused and convicted,
7. provides protection of order and security in court buildings and objects of the prosecution office and undisturbed course of the proceedings in them.
8. provides protection of public order near the court buildings and objects of the detention facility, court objects and prosecution office objects, if it is necessary to enforce detention,
9. handles complaints related to the procedure of the Service bodies, organizes and executes the escorts of the accused in the Slovak Republic in remand detention and convicts serving a sentence of imprisonment and a delivery of a person after serving a prison sentence for the execution of protective treatments in institutional healthcare facilities, for the execution of protective education in educational facilities or for detention in a detention facility,
10. implements the witness protection program for remand detention and sentence imprisonment,
11. provides healthcare for the accused in remand detention and sentenced and other persons,
12. operates in a limited scope as a criminal justice body,
13. reveals criminal activity of the Service members and in the Service objects, of the Service employees, reveals criminal deeds of the accused in the remand detention and investigates possible perpetrators,
14. performs tasks in the field of combating terrorism and organized crime,
15. cooperates in executing its tasks with state authorities, municipalities, armed forces, other legal entities and natural persons,
16. cooperates with prison administrations of other countries,
17. keeps records and statistics necessary to implement the tasks of the Service,
18. performs tasks of state administration and other tasks,
19. implements in its scope the roles of prevention.

The Minister has set up a sign of the Service and established a flag of the Service.

Official design is converted according to current legislation to 3.5 square meters for men and 4 square meters for women.

• Mental Health Programmes
• Drug/Substance Addiction Programmes
• Alcohol Addiction Programmes

Our prison service is currently working on a new tool to proactively identify prisoners at risk of self-harm or suicide.

• Batons or blunt weapons
• Restraints, e. g. handcuffs

The custodial staff also includes staff who protect the buildings of courts and prosecutor’s offices.

• vzdelanie

Our prison service also uses external suppliers to provide the following services: telephoning of prisoners, operation of prison shops for prisoners

• Prison to Court Video Conferencing
• Prison to Social Work
• Prison to Family
• Prison to Prison

• Hall-based/communal kiosk/self-service systems
• Tablet or Mobile Devices (for prisoners)

• Behavioural Programmes
• Case Management Data
• Educational Programmes
• Library
• Visits/Appointments Scheduling Data

• Catering-Nutritional System
• Electronic Document Management
• HR and Staff Management
• Inmate Financial System
• Key Management Systems
• Medical Health System
• Offender Management System

• Identity Card System (prisoners)
• Identity Card System (staff)
• Perimeter Detection
• X-Ray Systems

• Courts
• Police
• Probation/Parole
• Social Work

• EQF Level 1
• EQF Level 2
• EQF Level 3
• EQF Level 4
• EQF Level 5

• Agricultural
• Bricklaying/Building
• Catering
• Cleaning
• Electrical Engineering
• Gardening/Landscaping
• Hairdressing
• Painting and Decorating

• Pre-Trial/Remand Prisoners
• Sentenced Prisoners

• Mentoring-Coaching

• Prison Staff

• Payments-Fines
• Removal of privileges
• Transfer to other regime
• Solitary Confinement