The number of inmates in some of the 13 prisons in Macedonia totals in 3,446 while they have a capacity of 2,026, the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights said Thursday.
It pointed that all penitentiaries in Macedonia are too crowded, and the situation in Strumica is the most alarming, where 150 people are crammed in a prison for 62.
"By April 12, the total number of persons in the 13 penitentiaries is 3,446. Of those, 3,159 persons are serving prison sentence, and 287 are in detention. The total capacity for convicts is 2,026, which means that they are 156 percent more crowded than they should be, i.e. on average 156 persons are staying in a facility made for 100. The situation in Strumica is the most alarming, where 150 are staying in a facility for 62, which means the facility is 242 percent more crowded. The situation is similar in the prisons in Tetovo, Stip, Gevgelija, and Idrizovo in Skopje," the Helsinki Committee informed.
The committee also pointed that the prisons have substandard life conditions, and that the crowdedness violates the privacy, dignity of the people, and results in inhumane life conditions.
"The surveillance mechanisms are dysfunctional. The house rule rarely applies, if at all. The convicts addressing the Helsinki Committee mostly complain about the inadequate healthcare, crowdedness, inefficiency of the legal assistance, not conducting the re-socialization programs, not having educational programs, lack of hygiene, lack of activities, not being able to spend more than 1 hour outside, limited correspondence, etc.," the committee said.
The Commission for Prevention of Torture points to high levels of corruption among the prison officials and the inmates. The commission stated that you can buy anything in the prisons, from cell phones, to drugs, probation, and better accommodation in the prison, as well the high degree of violence exerted by the prison officials.
The Helsinki Committee said that the system of convicts' complaints to the prison chiefs, the Directorate for Enforcement of Criminal Sanctions, and the courts, is totally dysfunctional. The committee said that it supports the protest of prisoners demanding reduced sentence following the decision of President Gjorge Ivanov to abolish all politicians.
According to the Directorate for Enforcement of Criminal Sanctions, the number of convicted persons from 2010 to 2016 has increased by 46 percent.