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Welcome to the EuroPris Knowledge Management System. The table below shows questions and responses from European National Agencies. Select a question for more information or use the filters on the left to narrow down questions based on Agency or Category.
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Introduction: The Norwegian correctional service is considering the possibility of using a padded cell as a measure to take care of and handle inmates who injure themselves by hitting their head in the wall / floor / door etc. As part of the investigation, we want to obtain knowledge and experience from others who use such cells or have considered using such a cells as a measure.
The Scottish Prison Service does not use padded cells. There are a number of safer cells in each establishment used to accommodate those who are known to be at risk of self-harm. Safer cells are designed and furnished to prevent self-harm.
To which inmates and in which situations do you use or have you considered using a padded cell? If you have padded cells. What experiences do you have with using them as a measure for handling inmates who harm them self? How is the padded cell designed? Do you have the opportunity to share photos, requirements specifications or similar? What materials have been used for upholstery? How are hygiene and infection control requirements met when using a padded cell (cleaning of the cell, etc.) Is a padded cell used together with other safety measures such as a protective helmet, handcuffs, belts, etc.? Is the padded cell standard and established in all prisons or only in selected prisons? Have you prepared your own regulations or national routines for the use of such a cell? If so, can this be shared with usThis content is only available to registered members of EuroPris.
No
To which inmates and in which situations do you use or have you considered using a padded cell? If you have padded cells. What experiences do you have with using them as a measure for handling inmates who harm them self? How is the padded cell designed? Do you have the opportunity to share photos, requirements specifications or similar? What materials have been used for upholstery? How are hygiene and infection control requirements met when using a padded cell (cleaning of the cell, etc.) Is a padded cell used together with other safety measures such as a protective helmet, handcuffs, belts, etc.? Is the padded cell standard and established in all prisons or only in selected prisons? Have you prepared your own regulations or national routines for the use of such a cell? If so, can this be shared with usThis practice is not implemented in Spanish prisons.
To which inmates and in which situations do you use or have you considered using a padded cell? If you have padded cells. What experiences do you have with using them as a measure for handling inmates who harm them self? How is the padded cell designed? Do you have the opportunity to share photos, requirements specifications or similar? What materials have been used for upholstery? How are hygiene and infection control requirements met when using a padded cell (cleaning of the cell, etc.) Is a padded cell used together with other safety measures such as a protective helmet, handcuffs, belts, etc.? Is the padded cell standard and established in all prisons or only in selected prisons? Have you prepared your own regulations or national routines for the use of such a cell? If so, can this be shared with usThis content is only available to registered members of EuroPris.
The Irish Prison service uses two distinct and separate types of cells for the management of disruptive prisoners and those in need of clinical seclusion respectively. The cells used for clinical seclusion are referred to as Safety Observation Cells (SOC) and are designed and equipped with Gold Medal Safety Padding specifically designed for hospitals, psychiatric facilities and prisons where violent behaviour may result in serious injury to the patient/prisoner, staff or damage to the room.
To which inmates and in which situations do you use or have you considered using a padded cell?These cells are only used for the clinical seclusion of prisoners who have been assessed by a healthcare professional as requiring clinical seclusion due to the imminent risk of harm to self or others emanating from a mental health presentation. There is provision in the Standard Operating Procedure for the Governor to initiate placement in the SOC although this is rarely used.
If you have padded cells. What experiences do you have with using them as a measure for handling inmates who harm them self?In the Irish Prison Service these cells are used where there are clinically assessed risks of self-harm/harm to others. The risk assessment underpins the determination for the prescription of a period of seclusion as this is deemed the safest option available to the Irish Prison Service where self-harm/harm to others is thought to be imminent. The period of seclusion runs in parallel with a formal psychiatric assessment and plan of care and is followed up with a referral to a more appropriate clinical treatment setting if required.
How is the padded cell designed?The SOC cells are designed with safety to the fore. They have security windows with occupant controls for the blinds. They have a full length glass security door to assist with observation and also have a convex mirror to assist in observation of blind spots. A staff controlled television is placed in a security cabinet, integrated into the room structure to assist with maintaining sensory awareness and orientation. A tamper proof toilet and washing facilities are available in the room also. A secure ante room provides the occupant with the opportunity to shower and refresh without the need to leave the immediate environment and thus maintain the safety of the prisoner and staff alike.
Do you have the opportunity to share photos, requirements specifications or similar? What materials have been used for upholstery?All SOC rooms are finished in Gold Medal Safety Padding – covering all walls, floor and bed plinth. Mattress and pillow are made of safety material which is heat welded to prevent destruction.
How are hygiene and infection control requirements met when using a padded cell (cleaning of the cell, etc.)Robust cleaning schedules are in place for pre and post occupancy of these rooms. Similarly, in the event of the spillage/fouling of the room with any bodily fluids full terminal cleaning is undertaken by a professional contractor
Is a padded cell used together with other safety measures such as a protective helmet, handcuffs, belts, etc.?No other mechanical restraints are used for clinical seclusion.
Is the padded cell standard and established in all prisons or only in selected prisons?The Safety Observation Cells are available in all prisons.
Have you prepared your own regulations or national routines for the use of such a cell? If so, can this be shared with usThe Safety Observation Cell Standard Operating Policy is attached to the response.
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The Lithuanian prison service does not padded cells
To which inmates and in which situations do you use or have you considered using a padded cell? If you have padded cells. What experiences do you have with using them as a measure for handling inmates who harm them self? How is the padded cell designed? Do you have the opportunity to share photos, requirements specifications or similar? What materials have been used for upholstery? How are hygiene and infection control requirements met when using a padded cell (cleaning of the cell, etc.) Is a padded cell used together with other safety measures such as a protective helmet, handcuffs, belts, etc.? Is the padded cell standard and established in all prisons or only in selected prisons? Have you prepared your own regulations or national routines for the use of such a cell? If so, can this be shared with usAt present padded cells are not being used in Catalan prisons. However, we are studying the possibility of piloting its use in one of the prisons to evaluate how these work and whether these could be deployed in all prisons and generalise its use.
To which inmates and in which situations do you use or have you considered using a padded cell?As mentioned, for now it is only a possibility that is being analysed. Testing the use of padded cells would also help to establish the protocols that would ensure safety and security for inmates and prison officers when transferring the inmate to the padded cell. A thorough assessment should be made in order to define the in which specific circumstances and cases should padded cells be used. The general aim would be to make use of padded cells to when temporary isolation is applyed as a response to highly aggressive behaviours (against self or against others) and eventually the use of mechanical restraints or mechanical fixation on a bed can be reduced.
If you have padded cells. What experiences do you have with using them as a measure for handling inmates who harm them self?As answered in question 1, the use of padded cells is still under study therefore we don’t have experience that we could share.
How is the padded cell designed?As said earlier, it is still under study but it is foreseen that walls and door as well as corners and edges will be covered by padded material. It will not contain any element that could lead the inmate to cause himself any bodily harm. It should spacious enough to allow prison officers to interact safely with the inmate inside the cell. It is foreseen that it would include cctv and intercom system so that the inmate and the staff can communicate at any time. Audio and video would be recorded.
Do you have the opportunity to share photos, requirements specifications or similar?As said before, its implementation is under study, therefore there is no padded cell built yet.
What materials have been used for upholstery?See answer to earlier question
How are hygiene and infection control requirements met when using a padded cell (cleaning of the cell, etc.)See answer to earlier question
Is a padded cell used together with other safety measures such as a protective helmet, handcuffs, belts, etc.?We are not yet in the position to answer this question.
Is the padded cell standard and established in all prisons or only in selected prisons?As described above, its not yet implemented but we would first pilot it in one of the prisons in order to deploy them gradually in the rest.
Have you prepared your own regulations or national routines for the use of such a cell? If so, can this be shared with usGiven that padded cells are not yet in place, our security regulations and protocols do not foresee their use yet. Should these be implemented, its use, circumstances, requirements and other aspects, would be clearly laid down in our security reuglations and protocols concerning the use of means of restrain.
The Austrian prison administration does not have padded cells. In 2018, as part of a working group on "Security of Austrian Prisons", the subgroup "Constructional and Technical Standards" also addressed the option of padded cells. There are various design variants on the market. However, the Austrian Directorate General for the Administration of Custodial Sanctions and Measures involving Deprivation of Liberty does not consider soft cells to be a panacea, since persons who run into the walls or hit/kick against them, etc. are not necessarily protected by this design due to their self-harming or property-damaging behaviour. In addition, all these designs have weak points as the seams at the joints and the drains on the floor are areas that could cause damage to property and to persons. As alternative the security measure in accordance with § 103 Para. 2 No. 5 StVG (putting on shackles) is to be provided as ultima ratio or a transfer to a psychiatric hospital is indicated. Also in exchange on this topic with Austrian forensic psychiatric hospitals, increasing scepticism was noted in this area, as these crisis intervention rooms are no longer used there in some cases and are not planned in a standardized manner in the course of new psychiatric hospital constructions.
To which inmates and in which situations do you use or have you considered using a padded cell? If you have padded cells. What experiences do you have with using them as a measure for handling inmates who harm them self? How is the padded cell designed? Do you have the opportunity to share photos, requirements specifications or similar? What materials have been used for upholstery? How are hygiene and infection control requirements met when using a padded cell (cleaning of the cell, etc.) Is a padded cell used together with other safety measures such as a protective helmet, handcuffs, belts, etc.? Is the padded cell standard and established in all prisons or only in selected prisons? Have you prepared your own regulations or national routines for the use of such a cell? If so, can this be shared with usYes, the Corps of Prison and Court Guard has the padded cells, so-called compensation cells that are used in reasoned cases. These cells are not intended for accommodation of inmates.
To which inmates and in which situations do you use or have you considered using a padded cell?The inmate shall be placed to the compensation room only until the termination of signs of his/her uncontrollable behaviour that could endanger his/her own life, health or life and health of another person. Prison Governor on the recommendation of the doctor shall decide on the placement of an inmate to the compensation room.
If you have padded cells. What experiences do you have with using them as a measure for handling inmates who harm them self?Inmates who harm themselves are provided primarily medical care and psychological or psychiatric crisis intervention; based on this the need of immediate hospitalisation of the inmate is assessed after the act in the psychiatric ward of the Prison Hospital (or another ward depending on the caused harms and need of adequate medical care). The inmate is hospitalized in the Prison Hospital until the time of his/her psychical stabilisation. The placement of such person to the compensation room is extraordinary and that only on recommendation of the doctor and only for the inevitable time (the placement must not exceed 8 hours; only in extraordinary cases, mainly if the uncontrollable behaviour repeats despite the expert intervention, the placement can last longer, however no more than 24 hours). There is no compensation room in prison hospital and its building is neither planned.
How is the padded cell designed?Walls are secured with a soft, easily cleanable material resistant to a mechanical damage up to the height of the ceiling. All edges and corners are usually rounded and secured by a soft material. The ceiling of the room is not covered with the soft material. The floor is fitted with waterproof isolation with the surface sloping into the canalization drain. The room can be equipped with a treading toilet set in the floor and it must meet the requirements for artificial lightning, heat-humidity micro-climate and heating. The lighting of the compensation room is ensured with a lamp of the type “Antivandal” and it is controlled from the outside of the compensation room. All electricity networks inside the room are led under the plaster. The compensation room is usually equipped with an internal communication device and a security camera of the waterproof type “Antivandal”. The compensation room can be equipped with a fire detector. The devices in the compensation room are installed so that they prevent the person placed in the room from malfunctioning them and can be connected-up e.g. to the operation centre of the prison. The compensation room that is established in a heated building does not have to be equipped with heating. If the room is equipped with heating, it is usually built-in (floor, wall, ceiling). The heating control is placed outside of the compensation room. The ventilation is ensured by air-conditioning or natural ventilation using a window. The air-conditioning hole is located as close as possible to the ceiling and it is secured by an internal security grating with a density preventing from handhold. If a window is used, it is usually located so that its bottom edge is not lower than two meters. The window is usually the tilting one. From the outside, it is secured with bars and an inner lining with a security grating with a density preventing from handhold. The glass filling is secured by a security foil against breakage. For purposes of life and health protection, the compensation rooms can be equipped with a camera system.
Do you have the opportunity to share photos, requirements specifications or similar? What materials have been used for upholstery?The upholstery is made of the damping layer Regupol of a thickness 8 mm and the flexy layer Grabo Supreme of a thickness 6,7 mm. The total thickness of the proposed system is 14,0 to 16,0 mm.
How are hygiene and infection control requirements met when using a padded cell (cleaning of the cell, etc.)In front of the compensation room, there is a water supply with a closing valve with a thread for connection of a hose that is used for cleaning of the room with a water stream.
Is a padded cell used together with other safety measures such as a protective helmet, handcuffs, belts, etc.?Yes.
Is the padded cell standard and established in all prisons or only in selected prisons?Currently, the compensation rooms are built in six prisons (building of the compensation rooms in the rest of the prisons is one of the conceptual aims of our prison system).
Have you prepared your own regulations or national routines for the use of such a cell? If so, can this be shared with usNo.
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The penitentiary system of R. Moldova does not have padded cells. This practice is not implemented.
To which inmates and in which situations do you use or have you considered using a padded cell? If you have padded cells. What experiences do you have with using them as a measure for handling inmates who harm them self? How is the padded cell designed? Do you have the opportunity to share photos, requirements specifications or similar? What materials have been used for upholstery? How are hygiene and infection control requirements met when using a padded cell (cleaning of the cell, etc.) Is a padded cell used together with other safety measures such as a protective helmet, handcuffs, belts, etc.? Is the padded cell standard and established in all prisons or only in selected prisons? Have you prepared your own regulations or national routines for the use of such a cell? If so, can this be shared with usThe penitentiary system of R. Moldova does not have padded cells. This practice is not implemented.
To which inmates and in which situations do you use or have you considered using a padded cell? If you have padded cells. What experiences do you have with using them as a measure for handling inmates who harm them self? How is the padded cell designed? Do you have the opportunity to share photos, requirements specifications or similar? What materials have been used for upholstery? How are hygiene and infection control requirements met when using a padded cell (cleaning of the cell, etc.) Is a padded cell used together with other safety measures such as a protective helmet, handcuffs, belts, etc.? Is the padded cell standard and established in all prisons or only in selected prisons? Have you prepared your own regulations or national routines for the use of such a cell? If so, can this be shared with usThis content is only available to registered members of EuroPris.
This content is only available to registered members of EuroPris.
This content is only available to registered members of EuroPris.
This content is only available to registered members of EuroPris.
No padded cells are used in Latvian prisons for suicidal prisoners to prevent self-harm (this option is not currently being considered). There is one cell with a soft wall covering in the Olaine prison Centre of Addicts (hereinafter - Centre of Addicts), but it is not used at the moment. Additionally, Latvian Prison Administration informs that the Centre of Addicts is an institution for prisoners (men and women) who suffer from alcohol and drug addiction.
To which inmates and in which situations do you use or have you considered using a padded cell?See answer to Question 1.
If you have padded cells. What experiences do you have with using them as a measure for handling inmates who harm them self?See answer to Question 1.
How is the padded cell designed?See answer to Question 1.
Do you have the opportunity to share photos, requirements specifications or similar?See answer to Question 1.
What materials have been used for upholstery?See answer to Question 1.
How are hygiene and infection control requirements met when using a padded cell (cleaning of the cell, etc.)See answer to Question 1.
Is a padded cell used together with other safety measures such as a protective helmet, handcuffs, belts, etc.?See answer to Question 1.
Is the padded cell standard and established in all prisons or only in selected prisons?See answer to Question 1.
Have you prepared your own regulations or national routines for the use of such a cell? If so, can this be shared with usSee answer to Question 1.
This content is only available to registered members of EuroPris.