site.btaPrison Unions Complain of Undocumented Incidents in Detention Centres

Incidents of aggression against prison guards are increasing, Tsvetan Mihailov, Secretary of the Management Board of the Union of Prison Employees in Bulgaria said in a BTA interview.

He explained that this tendecny has been confirmed by various prisons and arrests in the country. The nature of the aggression is also becoming increasingly unpleasant, including even throwing urine and excrement at the staff, Mihailov said.

After the case of a person who died in prison in Burgas, there has been no development in a positive direction for solving the problems with aggression, Mihailov pointed out.

He noted that regardless of the fact that there is a protocol for actions in such situations, there are incidents that are not documented. This behavior of employees, although clearly contrary to intuitive logic, can be explained by the loss of trust in the institution, as a consequence of the fact that in many cases the reporting of workplace violence did not lead to any consequences and in practice those affected are left without support.

In conflict situations, employees are obliged to react, and there is a high risk of becoming a target of attacks, he added.