Assignment criteria are not clearly communicated by the prison service. The service emphasises vulnerability factors such as sexual orientation, mental disorders, state of health, disabilities, ethnicity, the prisoner’s work history prior to imprisonment and the reason for conviction (especially for sexual offenders).¹ These criteria may influence the prisoner’s assignment.

The prison service is required to provide rooms for meetings between prisoners and their lawyers. Confidentiality is not always guaranteed, and prison staff are always present to maintain ‘visual surveillance’.

The prison service is required to immediately inform a prisoner’s relatives in the event of death.

In the event of a prisoner’s death, the service informs the family of the procedure for recovering the remains.

Allegations of abuse were reported. The U.S. Department of State noted the February 2019 indictment of several officials at Rahova Prison Hospital for mistreatment of inmates between 2015 and 2018. Its annual report highlighted the persistence of mistreatment.¹
In 2018, the CPT gathered numerous allegations of mistreatment, ranging from insults to rape, during its visit to the facilities of Aiud, Gherla, Iaşi and Galaţi. In the latter, the specialised intervention corps for law and order was accused of multiple acts of physical and sexual violence. The events took place outside the field of view of surveillance cameras, mainly in stairwells and inside offices.²

Medical personnel are required to inform the public prosecutor of any signs of mistreatment observed upon the arrival of a prisoner. The prosecutor can then initiate an investigation¹. In 2018, the CPT reported that none of the health professionals interviewed the previous year had the necessary knowledge to diagnose cases of torture and mistreatment. The Committee also deplored the partial and sometimes non-existent recording of abuses suffered by prisoners².

The prison service is implementing a policy of protection against violence between prisoners. Monitoring and information-gathering are in place with a view to reducing ‘violent behaviour’¹. Facilities have protection cells to accommodate vulnerable prisoners, with placement decided by the prison head or at the prisoner’s request. Activities and movement can be organised in such a way as to avoid encounters between specific prisoners ².

Prisoners may submit written or verbal complaints to the correctional facility’s management.
They can also write to the liberty and custody judge or ask to speak to them confidentially during their on-site visits.¹

The liberty and custody judge is required to hear prisoner complaints. This judge often has an office within each facility.

The NPM conducts follow-up visits, sometimes unannounced, to see whether its recommendations have been implemented.

The decision to grant a sentence adjustment lies with the competent judge in the jurisdiction where the prisoner is incarcerated¹.