Overcrowded Prisons and racist attacks in Hungary Prisons!

BUDAPEST | 01-05-2014 | On Wednesday the Council of Europe and many HR Organizations released a final report about the inhuman conditions in the prions in Hungary.  The Council of Europe says Hungary’s prison system needs to reduce overcrowding, stop discrimination against Roma prisoners and offer inmates work or recreational activities so they don’t spend 23 hours a day in their cells. The prisoners are only allowed to go outside whenever the guardians feel like letting them go outside.

The report released on Wednesday is based on visits to 10 jails and prisons across Hungary by a special committee of the Council in April 2013.

The report also cites several cases of the use of excessive force and racist remarks by police during arrests or questioning of suspects. Especially persons who are Sinti-Roma are faced by racist attacks of the guards. They do not get proper treatment and in some cases guardians threaten them if they speak in their mother tongue.

The government made a statement in highlighting and saying that there is a “significant increase” in prisoners’ employment, said other issues are being addressed but acknowledged that overcrowding at prisons has grown from 122 percent of capacity to 144 percent since 2009. Prisoners have to do work for foreign companies as cheap labor force.