Food in Turkey’s prisons: Rice, pasta, canned food

* Photo: Pexels

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The Civil Society in the Penal System Association (CİSST) has released its October 2021 report regarding prison conditions in Turkey.

The report is especially marked by the problems with hygiene and food encountered by prisoners during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The complaints reported to the CİSST via letters and its hotline from October 1 to 31 have been documented with the information as to prisons and prisoners kept confidential. Since the pandemic arrived in Turkey in March 2021, the CİSST has received applications from 179 prisons.

Preparing a report based on these complaints every month, the association has shared the current health problems of ill prisoners at risk as well as their complaints and requests in its latest report.

Used and dirty bed sheets, blankets

Under the sub-heading "General Conditions of Prisons and Hygiene Measures", the CİSST report has shared the following information:

"While prisons were disinfected at certain intervals and regularly in the first period of the pandemic, this frequency has recently dropped.

"In some prisons, used and dirty beds, blankets, bed sheets and bed clothes are distributed to prisoners; as only one type of food is sold at the canteen, prisoners with allergies cannot buy them.

"The circulation of clean air cannot be ensured in some wards in some prisons due to the high number of prisoners.

"As the windows of some closed prisons are small, prison wards cannot be adequately ventilated.

"In some prisons, wardens come to crowded wards and conduct searches without complying with the social distance rules; these searches have recently become very frequent; wardens wear the same gloves while searching the beds, personal belongings and garbage; prisoners are not given masks while these searches are carried out; personal belongings of prisoners are seized; this situation makes the prisoners in the risk group and with chronic diseases concerned.

"In some prisons, wardens do not observe social distance and do not wear masks during the counts.

"In some prisons, the vaccinated wardens decrease the hygiene measures and enter wards without wearing masks."

65+ prisoners given one mask a month

The report has also listed the problems with accessing hygiene:

"While soap, bleach and disinfectant are distributed to wards free of charge by some prison administrations, these products are not handed out for free in some prisons.

"The products distributed for free are limited and fall short of meeting the need; the prisoners who cannot afford hygiene products or who are in a bad financial condition are not provided with enough products.

"In some prisons, prisoners are given masks while in others, prisoners are not given masks in places outside their wards even if they request it.

"The prisoners aged 65+ are given one mask a month; prisoners with allergic asthma are not given masks for free though they request it; the masks provided by the ones coming for visitation are not accepted.

"In several prisons, toilets are not provided with cleaning and hygiene products.

"Bathrooms are dirty; the use and hours of the bathroom are limited in some crowded wards.

"The number of toilets and bathrooms is low.

"In some open prison wards, there are no toilets or bathrooms; the common toilet and bathroom are used by different wards.

"In some prisons, water is dirty and unusable; there are frequent water cuts; cold and hot water is provided limited and at certain times.

"In some prisons, there is a quota on water use; for this reason, ward and personal cleaning cannot be done regularly.

"There are problems with maintaining personal hygiene."

Processed or canned food

Under the sub-heading of "nutrition", the CİSST has underlined that the food offered in some prisons is of poor quality, not hygienic and it is cold. Some of the other complaints are as follows:

"Food falls short of meeting the needs of all prisoners; processed and canned food is distributed in some prisons.

"The prisoners who cannot eat the food as a result of these problems are forced to meet their needs at the canteen.

"The balance of meat and carbohydrates is not maintained in prison food; vegetables, rice and pasta are predominantly offered.

"In some prisons, the necessary hygiene measures are not taken while distributing food.

"The complaints about the food have been notified to all relevant public institutions; however, there has been no improvement.

"Products at the canteen are expensive and the product range is narrow.

"In some prisons, the fruits sold at the canteens are rotten; prisoners can buy only one type of fruit once a week due to high prices.

"Diet food is not offered and when it is done, only one type of diet food is offered.

"Limited and rotten food is given to vegetarian prisoners.

"Vitamins or immunity booster supplements are not offered." (AS/SD)