NCJ Number
90928
Date Published
1982
Length
7 pages
Annotation
The new Hungarian penal code contains essential changes reflecting a modern perception of detention and incarceration.
Abstract
It also incorporates certain concepts and methods that have had favorable results in the West. The regulations stipulate that temporary detention is to be carried out either in a penal institution or in a police prison cell, at least until the conclusion of the preliminary inquest. Convicted criminals should be separated from unconvicted, men from women, and youth from adults. Sometimes individuals arrested for the same incident should be placed in different holding cells. The temporary detainee is obligated to respect the rules governing the establishment in which he is being held; upon request he may perform productive work and be compensated. Communication between the detainee and his defender is granted but remains difficult in practice. Arbitrary or unjustified arrests are forbidden. The large number and excessively long duration of temporary detentions in several countries reflect poorly on their judicial and political systems. Every effort should be made to sensibly restrict cases in which temporary detention is applied. Footnotes are supplied.