site.btaProsecutors Check Prisons in Four Regions, Find Shortage of Guard Personnel

Prosecutors Check Prisons in Four Regions, Find Shortage of Guard Personnel

Sofia, August 17 (BTA) - The five prisons and seven open and
closed prison hostels in the regions of Varna, Bourgas, Pleven
and Kyustendil have been checked by order of Prosecutor General
Sotir Tsatsarov, the prosecution service said in a press release
 on Monday.

The prosecutors found very good working arrangements for the
supervision and security personnel and the prison
administration.

The prisons and prison hostels do not have a sufficient level of
 physical security, which is measured by the ratio of inmates to
 guards. Thus, the Bobovdol Prison has 430 inmates and 18 guards
 per shift, and in Pleven there are 23 guards per shift for a
prison population of 304.

In Varna Prison, the work shift consists of 20 guards, one
section commander and one chief guard on duty. There are five
unfilled vacancies per shift, and taking into account those
absent and on leave, the shift is practically limited to 12
guards, one section commander and one chief guard on duty (while
 the inmates number 389).

Bourgas Prison, whose population of 524 makes is one of the most
 overcrowded penitentiaries, has one chief guard, one section
commanders and 15 guards during daytime, 13 guards during
nighttime, and an extra three single-shift posts on weekdays.

The Samoranovo Prison Hostel does not have a security system.
Two officers do 24-hour duty stints, guarding nearly 80 persons
deprived of their liberty.

No violations have been detected in encouraging inmates by home
leave.

The checks of prisons in Bulgaria began with Sofia Prison, the
prosecution service recalls. The recommendations issued there
for the improvement of operation have been entirely fulfilled.