Experts suggest speeding up the procedure of sending inmates for medical examination

One of the most acute problems of the modern-day Russian penitentiary system – medical examinations at the pre-trial prisons – was discussed at RIA Novosti. Vitaly Ushkanov, General Director of the Russian Agency of legal and judicial information, moderated the event.

Dmitry Fomin, Deputy Chairman of the Moscow City Court, said that a simplified mechanism is needed, which would allow those citizens, who are placed under arrest and claim that they have serious illnesses, to pass medical examinations more quickly in the capital city hospitals.

He said: “At this moment, the promptness of examination of the citizen, who claims to have illnesses listed among those that impede placement under arrest, is very dubious”. According to the Judge, if all fixed time limits are strictly observed, at least 10 days, and often more, pass between the declaration of the inmate that he has illnesses listed among those that impede placement under arrest and his sending to the medics.

Fomin suggests that the time limit for sending the diseased inmate to the medics should not exceed 72 hours. This period is the maximum time limit for detention of a person without choosing a restraint.

Advocate Igor Pastukhov of the Law Firm "YUST", member of the Council on development of the civil society and human rights under the President of Russia, pointed out that, when a person has already been arrested, it is very complicated to arrange a hospital trip for that inmate for examination. The expert indicated another important aspect of the problem: “We should ask: what is the very purpose of the existing system? For the persons with illnesses to not get into pre-trial prisons or to not leave them? There are many doubts concerning the answer. The current situation is such that we create difficulties for everyone when aiming at preventing offences by some persons. Certainly, someone may escape, but many more people risk their health because of this”.

Olga Sedneva, representative of the Forensic Medical Bureau, answered the question if medics faced pressure when making decisions: “Whoever might pressure us, we must give a conclusion, which we would be able to defend in court. We always sign documents on liability for knowingly false testimony”.

Galina Timchuk, the head of the medical section of the Moscow Department of the FSEP of Russia, pointed out another problem – the periods of discharge of the person after the receipt of the conclusion on the existing grave illness: “Last year in Moscow, only seven persons of fifteen with ascertained grave illnesses were discharged within days, and two had to wait for over a month”.

The source of the publication: New Advocate’s Newspaper, No. 13(150), 2013.

Caption: the RAPSI round table “Medical examination at the pre-trial prisons”.