Chernivtsi Pre-trial Detention Centre

The Chernivtsi Pre-trial Detention Centre is one of the oldest penitentiary institutions in Ukraine, with a history spanning over two centuries.

Its origins date back to the late 18th century, when the formation of the criminal justice system and places of detention began following the incorporation of Bukovyna into the Austrian Empire.

Archival documents indicate that a provincial prison had been operating on the site of the modern Soborna Square since as early as 1787.

Construction of the main prison complex began in 1812 and was completed in 1819. Throughout the 19th century, the complex was expanded multiple times to meet the needs of the Austrian Empire’s judicial system.

At the end of the century, new security blocks, a hospital, production workshops, a chapel, courtrooms, and other facilities were added, a significant portion of which has survived to this day. Throughout different historical periods, the institution functioned under Austrian, Romanian, Soviet, and Ukrainian statehood, consistently serving as a place of pre-trial detention.

Following the restoration of Ukraine’s independence, the Chernivtsi Pre-trial Detention Centre became part of the State Penitentiary Service of Ukraine and continues to provide for the custody of persons held under arrest, as well as the execution of sentences for certain categories of convicts in accordance with legislative requirements. The institution’s complex is one of the historic penitentiary structures of Ukraine and is located in the central part of the city of Chernivtsi.

The significant age of the buildings necessitates their constant maintenance, reconstruction, and modernization to bring the conditions of detention into compliance with modern national and international standards.

Over the last few years, the Chernivtsi Pre-trial Detention Centre has been visited multiple times by representatives of the National Preventive Mechanism, the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, and human rights organizations.

The results of these monitoring visits, alongside noting positive changes, have drawn attention to the need for further improvements to material and living conditions, medical care, respect for the right to privacy, and the continued modernization of certain premises in accordance with the standards of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT).

Contact information for the State Institution “Chernivtsi Pre-trial Detention Centre” Address: 6 Soborna Square, Chernivtsi, Chernivtsi region, 58002

Head: Oleksandr Dmytrovych Sushynskyi

Telephone: (0372) 52-50-20 Email: [email protected]