Country

Hungary

Detention issue

Protection against violence

FRA research findings

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Legal instruments & key provisions

Legal instrument Key provision
Detention Decree (16/2014. (XII. 19.) IM rendelet a szabadságvesztés, az elzárás, az előzetes letartóztatás és a rendbírság helyébe lépő elzárás végrehajtásának részletes szabályairól)It lays down general rules on granting security to prisoners in all the different types of detention regimes. The Detention Decree calls for the operation of electronic surveillance systems in the territory of the detention facilities – except for toilets and showers – to monitor the activities there, and to prevent violent incidents. Further, the Decree calls for regular (daily) security checks to find prohibited items in the cells, community areas and other places inside the detention facilities that might endanger or violate the security of prisoners. A security check may be performed at any time of the day, however, the staff members of the detention facilities must respect the prisoners’ rest period. Therefore, security checks can only be performed in rest periods if there is an immediate danger.

NATIONAL PREVENTIVE MECHANISM RECOMMENDATIONS

Year Recommendation Report
2016The NPM stated that some detainees claimed to have been abused by their fellow inmates during several visits of the NPM to detention facilities. The NPM pointed out to the management of the institutions that the guards were obliged to protect inmates from each other as well. Following the NPM’s recommendation, training programmes were held for the staff of several institutions in order to reduce the ill-treatment of and violence among the detainees. Report details
2018I request the chief commander of the national penitentiary system to make sure that prison officers receive trainings on the following matters continuously: a. suicide and self-harm committed by detainees, b. psychoactive substances, c. development of interpersonal communication, d. stress-management and prevention of burn-out, e. prohibition of torture and inhuman and degrading treatment. I request the commander of the penitentiary institution to inform the prison officers that sexual offenders are particularly exposed to violence committed by their fellow inmates, therefore they need special attention, to take steps to prevent violence among detainees, to make sure that the complaints submitted by detainees are duly examined within a reasonable deadline, to prepare an action plan to eliminate the racist verbal and non-verbal actions of the prison officers, to step up against the inadequate, sometimes violent behaviour of the prison staff and to guarantee the detection of the violations of the disciplinary rules and the professional investigation of these cases. Report details
2019I request the commander of the penitentiary institution to prevent physical abuse and theft committed by detainees against each other, to make sure that prison staff members treat detainees adequately, to organise training to prison staff members about the UN Convention against Torture and the operation of the National Preventive Mechanism. Report details
2019The NPM report recommends that prison staff receive specific training on the UN Convention against Torture and the operation of the National Preventive Mechanism, and that prison governing bodies should take measures in order to make sure that prison staff members treat detainees adequately and prevent violence between inmates. Report details