Prevention Measures in European Prisons against COVID-19

Updated on 24.04.2020

General prevention measures

• In order to ensure that the necessary measures are taken at the highest level in prisons, probation services and staff training centres, general letters have been sent for disinfection of all vehicles in prisons, common areas, communal vehicles, visitor areas, individual and group work rooms in probation directorates, classrooms, seminar rooms and offices, for giving bleacher and liquid soap to all wards and hand sanitizers in suitable areas in the visiting areas.
• A letter has been written within the scope of regular disinfection of transport vehicles, compliance with hygiene rules, provision of liquid soap, gloves and masks in order to avoid material deficiencies in this context, the minimum number of staff, keeping the medicines from contracted pharmacies without delay at the prisons, probation services and staff training centers.
• It was requested to pay attention to food variety in order to strengthen the immune system of the food offered to the convicts and detainees to prevent coronavirus infectiousness in prisons.

Placement / treatment of infected detainees

• During the delivery of convicts and detainees taken to the prisons first time by law enforcement, the evaluation should be carried out in terms of coronavirus vitally in the reports taken by the hospital and the convicts and detainees suspected in terms of coronavirus should not be sent to prisons before the observation and treatment of the hospital is completed.
• A letter has been written to the Ministry of Health on the appointment of additional doctors to carry out the examination in the prisons by family doctor or specialist doctor with the thought that the referrals of the convicts and detainees to the hospitals outside the institutions will increase the risk of coronavirus.

New arrivals

• Convicts and detainees who entered the prisons for the first time should be placed to the wards after being housed in an isolated environment for 14 days to prevent contact with other convicts and detainees.
• Letters have been sent on referring the concerned convict/detainees to the health institution,  during the first admission of convicts and detainees brought to the prisons by the Police and Gendarmerie personnel, in the case that international connection within 14 days is detected by making the necessary research on whether convicts and detainees have international connections before they are brought to prisons and on the time of last entry and exit to the country and on which country they are located.
• Articles/letters were submitted to all Chief Public Prosecutor’s Offices on the purpose of push notification for the General Directorate for the statements of the convicts and detainees who are suspected of being coronavirus in the prisons or to follow up determinations found by prisons and to take measures.

Prison visits

On admission of convicts and detainees, visits, dispensations, spouse and family visits, staff leaves, transfers etc. In this context, all referrals and transfers other than health and safety and closed and open visits in the prisons were postponed for 15 days.

Activities / compensation

The delivery of the goods sent to the convicts/detainees and the measures to be taken about the children stay with their mother in order to prevent infectiousness of the coronavirus.

Work

It was decided to postpone all in-house and external seminars and group works to be made by the Probation Services until 4 May 2020 and notified to all the presidencies.

Staff

Training activities conducted at the Prisons and Detention Houses Staff Training Centers were postponed.

Protective clothing / masks

• Necessary correspondences were made in terms of the provision of thermal cameras, fever meters, disinfection materials, gloves and masks to the institutions in order to prevent the infectiousness of the coronavirus in prisons.
• Instruction is given to wear masks and to comply with the rules regarding hygiene for the staff working in prisons and other board staff and lawyers who should enter in obligatory cases.

Communication

In order to raise awareness of the prisons, probation services and staff training centers, necessary instructions have been given for hanging brochures and posters organized by the Ministry of Health at appropriate places in the institutions.