Rabat – EU prisons health and hygiene conditions are deteriorating, says observator.
At least 11,706 total Moroccans are detained in different 25 European Union prisons, a study conducted by BEZ announced on Tuesday.
The study, which was conducted by a group of journalists from different countries, relied on official data provided by 25 countries except for Croatia, Cyprus and Malta.
It was discovered that Moroccans were the top nationality of detainees in those prisons, followed by Romanians with a total number of 11,5111 detainees, and Albanians with 5,722 and then Turkish detainees with a total of 4,789.
According to the official census of EU, the total number of prisoners reached 620,540 by September 2014, among them a total of 113,000 who are not Europeans.
Prisoners in EU countries have been complaining deteriorated health conditions inside the prison cells. According to a study by the European Prison observatory in 2013, access to medical examination is minimal.
It stated: “each prisoner shall be visited within a few hours or days upon arrival. However, due to a lack of funding or unwillingness of professionals to work in prisons, physicians have in some cases reduced their presence in prison.”
The first visit takes place several days after the admission. Moreover, it consists merely of a few questions and does not include a comprehensive physical examination.
Besides, cells are overcrowded and spaces for common activities are not hygiene, according to the study, especially the older ones. “Prisoners seldom if ever receive what they need for hygiene purposes.”
In 2012, France prisons witnessed 71 natural death cases and 123 suicides, while in Italy 153 was the total number of deaths inside penal institutions documented by the Ministry of Justice. In Spain, the total number of deaths in penal institutions was 2012 164 and 23 suicides.
