While in prison, you must be provided with clothes and bedding appropriate for the season. This is important to keep you healthy and to ensure a socially acceptable appearance.
Therefore, the prison administration must ensure that you have at least the following minimum items:
The prison administration must ensure that you have proper clothing. If you don’t have your own clothes, the prison administration must provide them. You are also allowed to buy clothing in the prison shop.
Appropriate clothing
Your clothing must be appropriate. This means that it must fulfil two basic functions:
- It has to be suitable for the climate
Therefore, you must be given clothing which protects your health - keeps you warm in winter and is light enough for a hot summer.
- The clothing must ensure a socially acceptable appearance
The provided clothes don’t have to be new, but they should be of an appropriate size and should not be dirty or overly worn.
Type of clothing
According to Estonian law, all prisoners shall wear prison clothing unless otherwise provided by law. Prisoners are also required to wear a name tag attached to their clothing.
exception In Estonia, persons serving in open prison are allowed to wear personal clothing. If person does so he/she ensures the cleaning, keeping in order and regular change thereof at his or her own expense. If a prisoner does not have suitable personal clothing, the prison service shall provide the prisoner with prison clothing.
exception In Estonia, upon reception into a punishment cell, a prisoner shall receive clothing provided by the punishment cell.
exception In Estonia additional security measures shall be imposed with regard to a prisoner who regularly violates the requirements of Imprisoment Act or the internal rules of the prison, damages his or her health or is likely to attempt suicide or escape, and to a prisoner who poses a threat to other persons or security in the prison. Additional security measures may also be imposed for prevention of grave offences.
example It is allowed to prophet wearing personal clothing as one of the additional security measures.
When you are allowed to leave the prison or when you are taken outside, you should be allowed to wear your own clothing.
The list of clothing you can buy hold in your chamber are listed in law.
Cleanliness
You should have the opportunity to keep your clothes clean. According to the Prisons Regulations your clothes should be washed upon written request. Washing clothing provided by prison is free of charge and you can wash 50% of your clothes at once. Washing personal clothing is charged according the price-list in prison.
You must have a separate bed with sufficient and appropriate bedding. This means you must have all the items that a person needs for sleeping. According to Prisons Regulations you must be given a mattress, pillow, blanket, pillowcase, sheet and a towel.
The bedding must be:
- appropriate for the climate
- clean when issued
- kept in good order
- changed often enough to ensure its cleanliness
According to the Prisons Regulations bedding (except the mattress, blanket and pillow) must be changed at least every second a week. Mattress, blanket or pillow are changed when there’s real need for that.
Prohibition against inhumane or degrading treatment
If you don’t have any bedding or clothes, or if they are inappropriate, this might lead to a violation of the prohibition against inhuman or degrading treatment. However, the effect that such a situation leaves on your physical and mental condition must reach a certain minimum level of severity. Minor deviations from the norm will not necessarily result in a human rights violation.
example If you were not given a blanket or a pillow for a month, it would most probably result in a violation of your rights. However, if you didn’t have a pillowcase on your pillow for a couple of days, most likely this would not be a violation of your rights.
Read more about how to evaluate whether your rights have been violated.
How to complain
If you believe that your rights have been violated, you should complain to the prison administration. Read more about how to complain.