History of the Prison

The Hospital for Remand and Sentenced Prisoners and the Prison in Trenčín (hereinafter referred to as "the hospital") is located in the city centre, less than one kilometre from the university hospital and in close proximity to the district court, the regional police headquarters, and the district prosecutor's office. The premises cover an area of 6,937 m². The foundation of the hospital is the former Royal County Prison dating back to 1912, which served its original purpose until 1960. Between 1975 and 1977, it was reconstructed as a prison once again. In 1977, after modifications and the installation of necessary medical equipment, it was assigned a new role as a hospital for remand and sentenced prisoners. Initially, there was only one building—so-called Building N—which provided remand custody for the District Court in Trenčín and the Higher Military Court in Trenčín, with a capacity of 85 remand prisoners. In addition to reman detention, the facility included internal medicine and psychiatric departments (the latter also providing forensic psychiatric assessments and alcohol addiction treatment for men), as well as a rehabilitation ward, which also treated prisoners from the Czech Republic.

The 24-hour presence of medical personnel gave rise to the idea of placing sentenced prisoners with health disabilities in Trenčín. This, along with the need to expand hospital space, led to the construction of a new five-storey facility—Building F. In 1986, 150 prisoners with medical classification “F” were transferred there from the Ilava Prison. In 1987, a tuberculosis ward (now a department of pneumology and phthisiology) was opened on the third floor of Building F. The institution functioned as a correctional and remand prison until the dissolution of the Czechoslovak federation.

The profiling of the hospital was a complex and demanding process requiring the reconciliation of medical and security considerations. Only through patient cooperation and consensus among all stakeholders was it possible to fully establish the prison hospital. This process culminated in 1994 with an amendment to Act No. 79/1992 on the Corps of Prison and Court Guard, which granted the hospital institutional status. Based on this amendment, the Minister of Justice established the Hospital for Remand and Sentenced Prisoners and the Prison with its own legal personality.

The Present

In the following years, the interior of the hospital was adapted to meet operational needs. Today, the facility has a total capacity of 361 prisoners.

The hospital ward has 191 beds, including 12 reserved for patients in the surgical department, which operates under the Faculty Hospital in Trenčín. The hospital departments include internal medicine, psychiatry, pneumology and phthisiology, neurology, and other specialized fields. The internal medicine department has two acute care beds in the intensive care unit (ICU) and two rooms for infectious patients. The psychiatric department is divided into an acute care unit and separate protective treatment units for men and women. The neurology and other specialty departments admit patients for whom medical care is also provided through consultations at the faculty hospital (e.g., ophthalmology, ENT, orthopaedics, gynaecology, traumatology, etc.).

Over the past ten years, the average occupancy rate has ranged between 55% and 75%, representing 1,641 to 2,589 completed hospitalizations annually. The number of hospitalized patients reflects the morbidity rate of the remand and sentenced prison population. The average length of treatment ranges from 14 days in acute units to 73 days in protective treatment. If appropriate medical care cannot be provided within the conditions of the Corps of Prison and Court Guard, the prison sentence may be suspended for medical reasons—this applies to approximately 1% of hospitalized patients annually.

The architectural layout of the facility is barrier-free, partly due to the existence of two departments for prisoners with disabilities. Since 2018, the hospital has been responsible for overseeing the provision of healthcare across the prison service, including the medical departments of all remand and prison facilities. In terms of security classification, the institution falls under the maximum security level, due to the hospitalization of life-sentenced prisoners.

Since 2021, a new five-year agreement on the provision of healthcare and cooperation has been in force between the Hospital for Remand and Sentenced Prisoners and the Faculty Hospital in Trenčín, signed by the statutory representatives of both institutions.

In addition to prisoners with disabilities, the prison also houses sentenced prisoners in the medium security level who are classified as part of the facility’s internal regime (47 places). The total number of sentenced prisoners in this part of the institution is 170. Penitentiary treatment and care for remand prisoners are closely integrated with medical care. Psychological services include individual and group work with remand and sentenced prisoners, the provision of psychological support to the prison population and to staff, according to current needs. Case managers play a significant role as well, performing highly specialized work focused on differentiated treatment of prisoners and applying social training and occupational therapy methods. Given the specific status of prisoners with disabilities, the hospital respects their age- and health-related limitations and provides group activities, rehabilitative physical therapy, and occupational therapy. Barrier-free access is ensured for this group.

Five rooms equipped with televisions and board games are designated for cultural and educational activities. These spaces are used for community meetings between prisoners and educators or psychologists, for lectures and discussions. The institutional library holds over 2,000 titles, including fiction, non-fiction, foreign language books, and religious texts. A separate staff library contains mainly professional literature, especially in the fields of healthcare and prison management.

Outdoor areas are used for sports such as minifootball, foot tennis, volleyball, and basketball. Since the renovation of the exercise yard, activities like floorball and badminton have also been added. There is a dedicated room for strength training, and prisoners also have access to table tennis, billiards, and darts.

Since the establishment of the hospital and prison, security issues have not received as much attention as in recent years. Medical personnel, prison officers working in the remand and sentence execution departments, and escort prison officers interact daily with remand and sentenced prisoners who have committed the most serious crimes. These patients often suffer from infectious diseases, severe behavioural disorders, psychotic or psychopathic conditions. This exposes all personnel to significant security and health risks. As part of its reclassification as a maximum-security facility, the development of an external security perimeter began in 1998.

Prison Personnel

The operation of the hospital is ensured by 270 prison officers and 59 employees. These numbers may seem surprising, but it is important to understand that patients require continuous medical care. The medical staff—84.5% of whom are women—must feel safe in their work, as they are dealing with individuals of various degrees of psychological disturbance, ages, educational levels, and criminal experience.

Open Unit Opatovce

The hospital also includes the Open Unit in Opatovce, which was established on 1 December 1991. It serves sentenced prisoners classified under the minimum security level. The aim is to implement alternative programmes, drug prevention activities, and to use individual and group approaches to motivate prisoners to learn to manage stressful situations without resorting to alcohol or drugs. The accommodation capacity is 43 prisoners, although a larger capacity would be welcome due to the interest of companies that value the high work ethic of the prisoners. The open unit significantly complements the prison system in the Slovak Republic. Prisoners placed in this unit are protected from the effects of prisonization, nearly all are assigned to work, and they maintain close contact with their families, contributing to a fully functional prison sentence and increasing their chances of leading a law-abiding life after release.

Open Unit Omšenie

The hospital also oversees the Rehabilitation and Treatment Centre of the Corps of Prison and Court Guard in Omšenie, including an Open Unit located within the centre. The facility was put into use in 1977. Its mission is to provide treatment and preventive rehabilitation for prison officers of the Corps through hydrotherapy, electrotherapy, and therapeutic physical exercises. During summer and winter holidays, the centre is also used for family recreation.

The facility includes 42 double rooms and six suites. Each room has a private bathroom, a colour television, a refrigerator, and a balcony. Guests have access to a winter garden, a gym with a fitness room, and an indoor swimming pool. The healing effect is enhanced by the favourable climate, clean air free from pollutants, surrounding coniferous and deciduous forests, sulphurous thermal springs, and the care of professional staff— a balneology physician, a nurse, and rehabilitation specialists.

The Open Unit based at the Rehabilitation and Treatment Centre in Omšenie, like the one in Opatovce, accommodates sentenced prisoners classified under the minimum security level. These prisoners assist in the operation of the facility. The accommodation capacity is 7 prisoners. The attractiveness of the centre is further enhanced by its proximity to the spa town of Trenčianske Teplice, known for its long-standing spa tradition, beautiful park, and relaxing atmosphere for guests.

International Cooperation

The hospital is also engaged in international cooperation and actively participates in the World Health Organization’s project Health in Prisons.