Children and adolescents in prison

 

Main issues

- Sanctioning procedures
Informal development of sanctions, ‘reward and punishment’ logic without making formal procedures or notifying them to the courts. 

- Education
Attending classes does not guarantee the proper access to education. Repeating courses. The attendance method is incompatible with schools located outside the prison walls.

- Police search
Humiliating, abusive and invasive body searches done to adolescents and their visitors. They are subject to the request of getting naked, and to perform certain body poses in order to get searched in genital and anal cavities. Such practices involve an invasive and humiliating search method that violates human rights. The PPN called for the regulation of these procedures through recommendation Nº 856/17. 

- Depersonalization
Complete and permanent dispossession of belongings and personal items during the admission process, arguing it is due to security measures.                          

- Solitary confinement
This phenomenon is observed after the admission of boys, girls and adolescents to the Institute (85%) and also as a punishment measure. 54% remained confined for more than three days.