In some situations you have to submit your complaint to special institutions created for dealing with a specific type of claim, such as the investigation of crimes or the assessment of the quality of medical care.
Generally, you have to submit your complaint to a specific body, when the prison administration would not be considered sufficiently qualified or independent to review your complaint, and when there are other institutions created for the examination of such types of claims.
The most common exceptions to the general procedure are:
If a fellow inmate or an officer has committed a crime against you, it will be examined by an investigator. This investigation will be carried out according to the Criminal Procedure Code. If you believe that a crime has been committed against you, you should alert the prison staff or the head of the prison. They should pass that information on further to the official responsible or another institution.
If you believe that the medical care provided to you was insufficient or inappropriate, or the doctor did not fulfil his/her obligations properly, you should submit a complaint to the State Health Care Accreditation Agency.
If you are employed in prison either by a state institution or a private employer, all disputes related to employment are to be resolved according to the procedure set out in the Civil Procedure Code and in the Labour Code. You may also submit a complaint to the State Labour Inspectorate.
If you receive bad quality food (for example, expired products or an inappropriately prepared meal etc.) or the portions are too small, you should first complain to the head of the prison.
If the head of the prison cannot or does not solve the problem, you can complain further to the State Food and Veterinary Service. The service will have to carry out an examination of the quality of the food you receive and establish whether it is appropriate or not. If necessary, the Service can order the prison to ensure that the food given to you is of an appropriate quality.