Polski system penitencjarny - wybrane aspekty

This article examines main issues related to Polish prison system. At  first the Author describes in general term the dynamic of penal population in various parts of the world, as well as in Poland. Then  in a synthetic way – the organization of Polish prison, and their three mail types, focusing mainly on maximum security penal institutions and its vast population. Mentioned are also the methods of maintaining prison discipline in places of penal isolation, especially the wards within penal facilities dedicated to hold most dangerous offenders.Le statistiche sul numero preciso di persone detenute nei vari tipi di istituti penitenziari in tutto il mondo non sono noti, tuttavia possiamo stimare che il loro numero abbia gia raggiunto circa 11 milioni dei condannati, internati etc. Sembra che tale numero continui ad aumentare, ed e’ causa di discussioni sui diritti umani delle persone detenute. Prima di tutto gli istituti penitenziari sono istituti totali, in cui la coercizione legittimamente  esercitata dallo stato é visibile in ogni aspetto del loro  funzionamento. Si tratta di una struttura separata, governata da regole proprie e isolata dal resto della società civile. Nelle carceri si sviluppano  reti informali di potere. Tutto questo causa molte difficoltà in materia di sicurezza al di fuori e all'interno degli istituti penitenziari.W artykule poddano analizie główne problemy związane z polskim systemem więziennictwa. W pierwszej kolejności Autorka  charakteryzuje dynamikę populacji karnej w różnych częściach świata, w tym także w Polsce. Następnie, w syntetyczny sposób, analizuje organizację polskiego więzienia, koncentrując swoją uwagę na kwestiach bezpieczeństwa systemu więziennictwa i wzrastającej populacji więźniów. Poruszono także problematykę utrzymywania dyscypliny więziennej w miejscach izolacji karnej, zwłaszcza w oddziałach w zakładach karnych przeznaczonych dla najbardziej niebezpiecznych przestępców

Idee nowelizacji kodeksu karnego

Praca recenzowana / peer-reviewed pape

Compulsory commitment of inmates into the restrictive housing in U.S. prisons – roles, goals and future dynamics

Problematyka dotycząca umieszczania przymusowego skazanych w warunkach ścisłego odosobnienia, określanego w północnoamerykańskiej literaturze przedmiotu jako restrictive housing, solitary confinement, administrative segregation lub supermax budzi liczne kontrowersje. W szczególności kwestionowana jest konstytucyjność rozwiązań prawnych dotyczących restrictive housing, jak i negatywny wpływ tego rodzaju warunków odbywania kary na dobrostan skazanych, którzy jak każda istota ludzka mają naturę społeczną i dążą doutrzymywania normalnych międzyludzkich interakcji. Zarówno wśród teoretyków badających naukowo problem, jak i wśród praktyków (funkcjonariuszy służby więziennej) można znaleźć zarówno zwolenników, jak i przeciwników, ścisłego odosabniania skazanych. Dodatkowo trzeba wskazać, że na płaszczyźnie prawnomiędzynarodowej zabrania się stosowania takich warunków na czas nieoznaczony lub na czas nadmiernie wydłużony (Reguły Mandeli). Aktualnie zdają się przeważać opinie, iż niezbędne jest opracowanie alternatywnych środków i strategii postępowania ze skazanymi, które z jednej strony zapewnią porządek i bezpieczeństwo w jednostkach penitencjarnych Stanów Zjednoczonych, a z drugiej, pozwolą na bardziej humanitarne postępowanie ze skazanymi, bez narażania ich na wysokie ryzyko negatywnych konsekwencji związanych ze stosowaniem warunków restrictive housing.Compulsory commitment of inmates into restrictive housing, or so called solitary confinement, administrative segregation, supermax, gives rise to many controversial issues that scientific research in the United States deals with. Subject to discussion are especially the constitutional controversies and the influence of such a treatment on the offender’s wellbeing as a human that tends to maintain social contact and that is vulnerable to possible negative impact of such strict conditions. Among scholars and practitioners there are opponents and also supporters of this solution, although internationally there is a conclusion (see the Nelson Mandela Rules) that restrictive housing should be banned, in particular when it is imposed on inmates for an indeterminate period or a prolonged period of time. Nowadays, the prevalent opinion is that other policies and practices should be worked out and implemented in order to replace restrictive housing, and at the same time that tools will have to be able to assist in achieving the main goals: security and order in the prison as well as rehabilitation and deterrent impact on inmates

Przedterminowe zwolnienie z kary pozbawienia wolności skazanych za ludobójstwo, zbrodnie przeciwko ludzkości i wojenne na mocy orzeczeń międzynarodowych trybunałów karnych „ad hoc” oraz ich sukcesora w postaci Mechanizmu Rezydualnego ONZ

In the last decade of the 20th century, a war in the former Yugoslavia broke out, once again making Europe a witness to an armed conflict. Almost at the same time, another local ethnic bloodshed started, but this time in distant Africa — in Rwanda. Both these events included the most horrifying international crimes against humanity: genocide and war crimes. To prosecute the most important commanding figures involved in these conflicts and hold them criminally responsible, two ad hoc United Nations tribunals were created: International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in Hague and International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in Arusha. They finished their operation in 2017 and 2015, respectively. The tasks of conducting and completing all ongoing proceedings, including law enforcement, after the completion of their mandates have been entrusted to the UN International Residual Mechanism. One of the crucial assignments of the tribunals and later the Redisual Mechanism was to deal with the request on behalf of the convicted for granting them early release. Although none of the statutes of the aforementioned courts provided any ground for early release, soon it was accepted that both tribunals, as well as their successor, were entitled to proceed despite this issue. As soon as in 2001, the first convict was granted early release, but with no conditions. It is estimated that, to date, more than 2/3 of all convicted by the Tribunals have been released before the termination of their sentence. This should raise the question of how to rehabilitate that kind of offender, convicted of genocide, war crimes, or crimes against humanity, to ensure they do not pose a threat to society anymore. Especially since the offenders serve their punishment outside the country of their origin — meaning, different rules apply according to the domestic law regulation of the state that voluntarily agreed to enforce the sentence. This article analyzes the juridical approach of the tribunals and the Residual Mechanism on the issue of early release of the convicts involved in the armed conflicts in the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda.In the last decade of the 20th century, a war in the former Yugoslavia broke out, once again making Europe a witness to an armed conflict. Almost at the same time, another local ethnic bloodshed started, but this time in distant Africa — in Rwanda. Both these events included the most horrifying international crimes against humanity: genocide and war crimes. To prosecute the most important commanding figures involved in these conflicts and hold them criminally responsible, two ad hoc United Nations tribunals were created: International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in Hague and International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in Arusha. They finished their operation in 2017 and 2015, respectively. The tasks of conducting and completing all ongoing proceedings, including law enforcement, after the completion of their mandates have been entrusted to the UN International Residual Mechanism. One of the crucial assignments of the tribunals and later the Redisual Mechanism was to deal with the request on behalf of the convicted for granting them early release. Although none of the statutes of the aforementioned courts provided any ground for early release, soon it was accepted that both tribunals, as well as their successor, were entitled to proceed despite this issue. As soon as in 2001, the first convict was granted early release, but with no conditions. It is estimated that, to date, more than 2/3 of all convicted by the Tribunals have been released before the termination of their sentence. This should raise the question of how to rehabilitate that kind of offender, convicted of genocide, war crimes, or crimes against humanity, to ensure they do not pose a threat to society anymore. Especially since the offenders serve their punishment outside the country of their origin — meaning, different rules apply according to the domestic law regulation of the state that voluntarily agreed to enforce the sentence. This article analyzes the juridical approach of the tribunals and the Residual Mechanism on the issue of early release of the convicts involved in the armed conflicts in the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda

In Search of Effective Methods of Prison Rehabilitation – An Example of the United States

In its introduction, the article characterises - in a most comprehensible way - themain objectives of criminal sanctions and their role in preventing crime, according tothe most commonly expressed opinions on the subject from American scholars. It isfollowed by a brief history of assessing the risk of committing an offence in the UnitedStates in recent decades. The risk assessment process was developed before World WarII as a tool to predict possible recidivism in the case of inmates released on parole, butit has been in more common use since 1980s. While the “What works?” movementinitially emerged in the United States, one needs to remember the publication of Robert Martinso’s report that created the “Nothing works” (concerning prison rehabilitation)doctrine. It aided the justification of severe changes in punitive prison policies inthe 1970s that continued well into the 1990s, with the slogans “tough on crime, toughon the causes of crime” being more prominent. It took more than a decade to reestablishsome hope in prison rehabilitation programmes and allow the paradigm shiftsto happen – from the retribution “being tough on offenders” policy to more creativeapproaches towards offenders. By constructive approaches to working with offenders,one means the use of effective methods and techniques to alter criminal behaviourof inmates to prevent their possible relapse into crime (crime prevention).The main goal of the article is to present the most fundamental system in the UScriminal justice system that is most commonly applied nowadays: the Risk-Need-Responsivity (RNR) model and its principles to offender assessment. The aforementionedprinciples were laid down by Canadian scholars, Donald Arthur Andrews andJames Bonta. In that model, “risk” means the identification of specific factors thatare associated with recidivism (in general, depending on a specific crime, e.g. sexualoffenders or offenders who committed violent crimes). Andrews and Bonta argue thata number of factors need to be considered in any comprehensive theory of criminalbehaviour, including biological or neurological issues, inheritance, temperamentand social and cultural factors, while also noting that criminal behaviour is a multifactorialissue. “Need” assesses criminogenic needs and targets them in prison treatmentprogrammes for elimination, while “responsivity” intends to maximise the offender’sability to learn how to combat possible recidivism through rehabilitative intervention,providing cognitive behavioural treatment – with the said intervention being tailoredto the learning style, motivation, abilities and strengths of the offender.Risk assessment is applied during different stages of the criminal procedure: beforesentencing and during the period of time when the criminal sanction is executed, i.e.while serving a custodial sentence. It must be noted that, in the US justice system, judgesare not the only people obliged to assess the potential risk of an offender relapsinginto crime in the future. Prison officers are also tasked with such assessment. Throughthe application of the RNR model, it is possible for the prison staff to divide inmatesinto specific groups, depending on security levels and adequate treatment programmes.In that case, the assessment tools based on the RNR model not only allow a predictionof a possible relapse into crime, but also a proper allocation of convicts to rehabilitationprogrammes provided within prisons. A convict undergoes an evaluation before andafter the treatment. Such evaluations are imposed on most prisoners, so performingthem does have an impact on the financial and human resources of a given penitentiaryunit.The most important question, “What works in prison?” is answered by the majorityof scholars through propositions of providing cognitive and behavioural skill programmesto the convicts. They have clear criteria to ensure that objectives, methods andapplication of rehabilitation programmes correspond with the needs of criminaloffenders. The conclusion of the research is meant to prove that providing offenders with such treatment (based upon the RNR model) may have a positive effect on re -ducing the risk of relapse into crime in the future. However, the appropriate methodsof treatment are based not only on psychotherapy (or, sometimes, on pharmacologicaltreatment), but also on education, vocational training, personal development, strengtheningself-control mechanisms and improving interpersonal skills

Il regime disciplinare nell’ambito carcerario polacco

This article examines issues related to prison disciplinary proceedings. At the first part the Author describes – in a synthetic way – the evolution and aims of imprisonment, starting from ancient times until the 19th century. Mentioned are also the methods od prison discipline in places of penal isolation. The second part consist of a detailed account of historical development of prison disciplinary proceeding in Poland – from the period after the First World War until contemporary times. Concluding part of the article states that the objective of disciplinary sanctions is no longer only to provide safety and order within prisons but also is an important measure of inmate rehabilitation

Sexual Exploitation of a Minor in the Family: Selected Criminological and Penal Issues

Incest is a perennial moral taboo. The word usually denotes sexual relations between close family members, and less frequently, in-laws and adoptees. Prohibitions on engaging in these types of sexual relations can be found in every society. The family members prohibited by the criminal law from engaging in sexual relations with each other might have changed and narrowed over the centuries, but this type of deed remains proscribed by most criminal law systems. It is usually noted, however, that the small number of convictions recorded for this type of crime every year is a sign that a clear majority of perpetrators of incest and similar acts go unpunished. Where the legal provisions concerning incest fall short is in their practical ineffectiveness when it comes to preventing victimisation. A general psychological profile of this type of offender has yet to be created, as has a broader profile of the paedophile. This might be difficult because the nature of what causes sexual preference disorders (e.g. paedophilia, sadism and fetishism) has yet to be determined. The results presented in this paper are intended to reveal the character traits that distinguish offenders who incestuously exploit minors and who have been diagnosed as paraphiliacs. The average age of the offenders surveyed was 43 years. This finding accords with results of the studies presented in the international literature, viz. that people convicted of incest and other sexual offences against minors living with them in the same household are older than rapists and paedophiles whose victims do not live with them in the same household. The survey group was dominated by people with primary (including 5 who had completed “special schools” at primary level) or vocational education (most common among those convicted). A mere 7 people who could produce a diploma to prove they had finished secondary school were recorded and most of these qualifications were vocational. No one in the group had higher education. Their level of education was found to match their current occupations, i.e. trades or manual labour that did not require any special qualifications, and to bear out the fact that most of them were of average IQ. Everyone in the group had been diagnosed with one or more sexual preference disorders and for this reason they were all completing remedial programs while serving prison terms. This category of convicts was dominated by people diagnosed as repeat heterosexual paedophiles. It is also worth noting that many in the group had been diagnosed with other psychiatric disorders – especially alcohol dependence syndrome – in addition to sexual preference disorders. The victims were overwhelmingly female (59 or 85.5% of the total). Thirty six of these girls had been sexually exploited by their biological fathers. The sex of the victim would therefore appear to be of crucial importance in terms of threats from friends and relatives living in the same environment

NATIONAL JURISDICTION WITH RESPECT TO OFFENCES COMMITTED ON BOARDS OF AIRCRAFTS VS PRIVATIZATION PROCESSESIN THE CIVIL AVIATION SECTOR - SELECTED ISSUES

The objective of this paper is to analyse the influence of ownership transformations in an airline industry, that can be observed nowadays, on the jurisdiction performed by states regarding offences committed on board of an aircraft. In the light of 1963 Tokyo Convention, each state is authorized to apply its law (broad jurisdiction) to all persons, things and activities within its territory (territorial jurisdiction), and to its citizens and legal persons wherever they are or act – including national ships and aircrafts – even if they are outside their home country (flag state competence). But are the states of registration of an aircraft really interested in exercising their jurisdiction on offences committed on board of an aircraft, if this aircraft is used by a foreign entrepreneur? Therefore, it should be noted that bilateral and multilateral agreements in the field, in particular those relating to regular air services, are of a major importance for the nationality of aircraft operators, and that the ownership of an aircraft is considered to be: indirect, alternative or parallel to the issue of the ownership of an aircraft company

Możliwości włączenia komunikacji internetowej do procedury konsultacji społecznych dot. inwestycji gminnych

Artykuł prezentuje temat komunikacji społecznych w samorządach lokalnych w Polsce. Możliwość włączenia większej liczby mieszkańców jest główną zaletą procesu. Główną wadą są koszty procesu oraz trudności określenia osoby rzeczywiście biorącej udział w konsultacjach przez Internet. Dlatego celem artykułu jest przedstawienie obecnie istniejących procedur użycia Internetu w procesie konsultacji społecznych. Akty prawne i regulaminy konsultacji społecznych wskazują Internet jako właściwe narzędzie komunikacji. Większość dokumentów nie określa liczby uczestników w tym procesie. Możliwych jest wiele zagrożeń podczas prowadzenia konsultacji przez Internet. Dlatego najczęściej czynnik ilościowy nie ma podstawowego znaczenia. Konsultacje internetowe używane są do przekazania informacji o projekcie i zebrania pomysłów od mieszkańców bezpośrednio związanych z miejscem planowanych inwestycji. Istnieją już procedury głosowania nad budżetem obywatelskim. Są one znacznie trudniejsze i droższe. Dają jednak możliwość indywidualizacji głosowania. Będzie to główny mechanizm konsultacji społecznych w samorządach lokalnych i samorządach regionalnych w przyszłości

Criminal law provisions that guarantee the food safety in Poland, including the European Union’s regulations

Gałąź gospodarki, jaką stanowi produkcja i obrót żywnością przynosi istotny zysk ekonomiczny, ta branża wydaje się generować najwyższe przychody i być bardzo dochodowa. Z drugiej strony – oprócz zysków – przemysł żywnościowy może być źródłem zagrożenia dla ludzi, zdrowia publicznego i bezpieczeństwa powszechnego na niebywałą skalę. Stąd niezwykle ważne jest dochowywanie wysokich standardów bezpieczeństwa przez producentów i podmioty wprowadzające żywność do obrotu. Celem artykułu jest analiza rozwiązań prawnych dotyczących sankcjonowania przestępnych zachowań związanych z obrotem żywnością