On April 1, 2020, the Act of March 31, 2020 amending the Act on special solutions related to the prevention, prevention and combating of COVID-19, other infectious diseases and the crisis situations caused by them and some other acts entered into force. Under it, the rules governing the execution of the sentence were changed. This regulation is aimed at adjusting the conditions of prisoners to the circumstances caused by the pandemic.
During the period of an epidemic threat or state of an epidemic declared due to COVID-19, it may not be possible to reduce or eliminate the risk of infection by a convicted person as part of actions taken in a prison. Pursuant to the provisions of the covid act, the director of the penitentiary institution may then apply to the penitentiary court for the execution of the sentence in the form of placing the convict in an appropriate treatment institution. Such a request must then be approved by the Director General of the Prison Service. This will happen if the convicted person cannot be given a break from the execution of the imprisonment sentence.
The court decides on the execution of the penalty of deprivation of liberty by placing the convicted person in an appropriate treatment facility for a specified period or refuses to accept the request, if the required circumstances do not occur.
The time of the convict’s stay in the treatment facility may be extended at the request of the director of the prison for a further specified period of time, but may not be longer than until the end of the epidemic threat or state of epidemic announced due to COVID-19.
The possibility of executing a sentence in a medical institution applies to persons placed in a penitentiary institution and remand center.
