ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of the measures taken in the Republic of Croatia, at the level of penal policy and within the prison system, in response to challenges of the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Besides restrictions imposed inside prisons to protect inmates from the infection and to prevent its spread, contacts with the outside world have been significantly restricted. In order to mitigate the negative psychological effects of these restrictions, inmates were offered more frequent and longer telephone calls and video visits. Another set of measures was taken with the aim of reducing the prison population. Under these measures, the Ministry of Justice recommended that the courts extend the date of referring offenders to the enforcement of their prison sentences and approve offenders’ requests for postponements as well as inmates’ requests for suspension of enforcement of their prison sentences, whenever possible. Yet, the legal basis of these measures is questionable, as well as their effect. Overall, it may be concluded that, while the Croatian prison system responded relatively successfully to the unprecedented challenges of the first wave, the reaction of the Ministry of Justice was far less systematic and transparent during the second wave of the pandemic.
