Brno - Prison services disclosed Tuesday for the first time how jail will look for the most dangerous committers of violent acts.
From January 1st 2009, the facility will be occupied by individuals with compulsory treatment imposed by the court - sexual deviants, pyromaniacs, brutes. A total of 48 beds will be awaiting them there. Until now such deviants have been treated in common mental institutions.
"These people sometimes tyrannize the entire ward; they assault personnel as well as other patients, with such attacks often ending in actual serious bodily harm," stated spokesman for the Ministry of Justice of the Czech Republic Jakub Stadler.
Three years ago, for example, deviant Roman Fron escaped from an institution in Kosmonosy. Upon his third escape he raped a nine-year-old girl. After his recapture, he committed suicide in prison.
Psychiatrists also know very well the name of Josef Tichý, the sexual deviant who assaulted over twenty girls and seven boys and escaped from psychiatric institutions seven times.
A year and a half ago two young deviants quickly escaped from care at Prague's Bohnice. They climbed over the fence. The director of the institution at that time warned that escape from a medical facility was relatively easy.
Nurses instead of prison officers
Psychiatrists for the establishment of detention institutions have been screaming to be heard for decades. We are not prison wardens, they admonish.
"In a mental institution two nurses ensure the protection of society from a dangerous individual," explains psychiatrist Josef Svatoň of a Jihlava mental institution regarding the alarming situation in such facilities.
Above all, according to Svatoň, very dangerous sexual deviants certainly belong to detention centers.
With other offenders he would rather be cautious with the mandating of detention.
"Compulsory treatment is often imposed upon habitual offenders that are completely self-responsible. Perhaps their conduct is incomprehensible to others, but from a medical perspective they are not sick, Svatoň pointed out.
"There is no reason to treat them. They don't merit compulsory treatment, nor do they belong in a detention center or prison," added the doctor.
Release for the rehabilitated
One month ago Minister of Justice Jiří Pospíšil signed a law on the enforcement of preventive detention. It will be valid from January 1, 2009.
The court will mandate residence in detention facilities. Security in such facilities will be ensured by Prison Services, while doctors, psychologists, educators, and other specialists will provide care for those convicted.
"At least once a year the court will review whether reasons remain for the continuation of preventive detention," added Stadler.
If the conclusion is reached that the deviant has been "rehabilitated", he can be released and prescribed subsequent compulsory treatment.
In addition to the 48 beds in Brno, Prison Services is planning a further 150 in Opava. Vidnava is also being considered; however according to findings of Aktualně.cz, a detention center will not begin to work there sooner than 2011.
"The estimation is a total of about 200 inmates. Neighboring Austria has a similar number of people placed in detention facilities," stated spokesperson for Prison Services Alena Votička.
IN/FAMOUS ESCAPES FROM MEDICAL INSTITUTIONS
o May 2000 - Liberec police detained a sexual deviant who escaped 6 months prior from the medical institution in Prague - Bohnice. The court sentenced the 28 year old man to sexual-psychological treatment for the sexual abuse of a minor. According to the police, the fugitive deviant did not commit a criminal act.
o September 2001 - During a medical examination, sexual deviant Josef Tichý, a patient of the Prague mental institution in Bohnice, escaped from Bulovka Teaching Hospital. Police captured Tichý on the second day after his escape. In the past the 43 year old Tichý had assaulted more than 20 girls and several boys and in 1990 the court sentenced him to 10 and a half years of imprisonment and compulsory institutional treatment. From this time, he has escaped from mental institutions seven times. In November 2001 he committed suicide.
o May 2003 - Juvenile inmates escaped from a mental institution in Olomouc's Šternberk. The three youngsters, one of whom was under 15, assaulted two female paramedics by means of an iron rod. After issuing several beatings to the head, the juveniles bound the paramedics and demanded money, a mobile phone, cigarettes, and keys from the institution. At the same time, they threatened to kill both women. Shortly after the mugging, police caught the perpetrators not far from Sternberk.
o August 2003 - Suffering from paranoid schizophrenia, 25 year old Marcel Kerouš escaped from a mental institution in Kroměříž. The young man, with whom two other inmates also escaped from the institution, two weeks earlier in Zlín used a machete to murder his own mother and injure his father. Police detained him in Zlín the day after the act. The man could not be indicted because he was not conscious of his act; the court, however, ruled for placing him back in the Kroměříž institution. After the incident, management of the facility laid off three employees.
o September 2004 - 22 year old Roman Suchánek from Plaňany na Kolínsku escaped from a mental home in Prague's Bohnice. Suchánek was infected with Hepatitis A, B, and C. He had already escaped in the past from the institution where he complied with rehabilitation from drug use.
o December 2004 - An aggressive man undergoing compulsory institutional treatment escaped from psychiatric care at Prague's Bohnice. According to police, 36 year old Roman Sucher could be a danger to his surroundings.
o May 2005 - Dangerous 27 year old schizophrenic David Římal, who beat his mother several years ago, escaped from the medical institution in Prague's Bohnice. Police captured him the day after his escape.
o August 2005 - 28 year old sexual abuser Roman Fron repeatedly escaped from the mental institution in Mlada Boleslav's Kosmonosy. Initially he escaped early morning August 5th; six days later he was captured. The next day, albeit with two additional patients, he again escaped from the facility. Five days later he was captured. During his escape, according to the police, he raped a 20 year old woman. As a result he ended up in prison where just after a month he committed suicide.
o November 2005 - Committed by court to compulsory treatment for rape, 33 year old Robert Hvězda escaped from the mental institution in Pilsen's Dobřany. After 35 days in December 2005, he was captured by Prague police.
o August 15, 2006 - Two deviants who were undergoing sexual behavior treatment escaped together from the mental institution in Prague's Bohnice. 25 year old Jan Burian was convicted of murder of an old woman while 17 year old David Šimáček had attempted rape.
