Some of the most common reasons persons deprived of liberty have addressed Ombudswoman Lora Vidovic in the recent years have been related to the prison system, that is, the inaccessibility of adequate health care and inadequate accommodation conditions. The overcrowding in the prison system has been on the rise for the past four years, and in only three of a total of fourteen prisons, in high-security wards the capacity is below 100 percent, while in six it is over 120 percent, which is considered critical by the standards of the European Committee on Crime Problems (CDPC).

The situation with the coronavirus epidemic further complicates the already complex situation inside the prison system, being one of the reasons the Ombudswoman was contacted by several concerned family members and friends of the inmates, complaining of not having disinfectants, hot water or adequate conditions for keeping social distance, which are the basic preconditions for effective prevention of the spread of the infection.

Therefore, the Ombudswoman requested information from the Ministry of Justice regarding the measures for protection against infections related to persons deprived of liberty and employees in the prison system, and from the penal institutions to collect information whether they have difficulty in implementing such measures. According to the information gathered so far, they are in constant contact with the regional Public Health Institutes and the Regional Civil Protection Authorities. In order to ensure the implementation of adequate measures, the Croatian Public Health Institute (HZJZ) published recommendations for the conduct of the judicial police officers and Regulation Act for the Prevention and Suppression of the Coronavirus Epidemic (COVID-19) in the Prison System Bodies, and the Ministry of Justice had further elaborated certain measures.

Persons deprived of liberty are in a particularly vulnerable position at this time since they cannot control the conditions they are in, nor can they afford everything they need for prevention against the epidemic. Therefore, it is especially important to consistently implement the prescribed measures for prevention in penitentiaries since only one infected person, due to the closed conditions, could probably jeopardize the health of many inmates and staff.