A report by the Controller General of Places of Deprivation of Liberty pinpoints the conditions of detention of fragile people at the Bédenac center in Charente-Maritime.
They lack adequate care and those who are no longer completely independent live in conditions which undermine their dignity.
The report was sent to the Minister of Solidarity and Health, the Keeper of the Seals, Minister of Justice, and the Minister of the Interior.
It is a damning report that has just made this Tuesday the General Controller of places of deprivation of liberty, Dominique Simonnot.
"Carried out by six inspectors from March 29 to April 2", the visit to a specialized building of the Bédenac detention center (Charente-Maritime), accommodating elderly, disabled or sick prisoners "gave rise to the observation of malfunctions in the care for detained persons constituting inhuman or degrading treatment within the meaning of Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights ”, details this report.
It was addressed to “the Minister of Solidarity and Health, the Keeper of the Seals, Minister of Justice, and the Minister of the Interior.
They were given three weeks to make their comments known.
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An abandonment of the most fragile detainees
A specialized unit, opened in 2013, which takes care of aging, disabled or sick detainees comprising 20 individual cells is installed in a building located away from the rest of the detention.
“A man fell to the ground while the controllers were present in the unit; weighing 150 kg, he could not be picked up and transferred to the hospital until after two and a half hours with the help of the fire brigade. If a fire broke out at night, the vast majority of people in wheelchairs would not be able to get out of bed on their own, ”the report describes. The sick prisoners seem to be on their own and in need of care most of the week: “Three people suffer from urinary or faecal incontinence and only have a third person to wash two to three times a week. They are awaiting the return of home help in rural areas (ADMR) in their bed soiled with urine or feces. "
"The prison administration must guarantee the safety of the detained persons entrusted to it, whatever their particular needs or their state of health", recalls the report which also points out that "while awaiting the necessary arrangements, only persons whose the state of health is compatible with the existing facilities can be accommodated.
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