Forensic psychiatrist: The Gostynin facility is not a hospital, not a prison – it is a legal absurdity
The National Center for the Prevention of Dissocial Behavior (KOZZD) in Gostynin is failing to fulfill its role, says Professor Janusz Heitzman, one of the leading experts in forensic psychiatry. He says the facility is meant to treat what cannot be cured, yet everything is based on a law he has called unconstitutional from the outset. "This law violates fundamental legal principles," Professor Heitzman told PAP. "Detaining people after serving their prison sentences based on the likelihood they might reoffend is unconstitutional."
The center in Gostynin and its branch in Czersk house individuals convicted of serious crimes—primarily sexual—who, after serving their sentences, are still considered potentially dangerous. The decision to refer individuals to the KOZZD is made, among others, by the prison director and then by the court, often based on the opinions of two psychiatrists. According to Professor Heitzman, this is insufficient and risky.
"The likelihood of committing a crime always exists. If we were guided solely by that, we would never let anyone out of prison," the psychiatrist notes.
Formally, KOZZD is a medical facility under the Ministry of Health, not a prison. However, as Professor Heitzman emphasizes, this legal structure benefits neither patients nor the system.
"This isn't a hospital, this isn't a prison. It's a facility where people are isolated without any real treatment options. There's no pill for the "risk of recidivism."
The center's patients complain about terrible conditions—overcrowded, multi-person rooms, bunk beds, and a lack of privacy. Last week, more than a dozen of them began a hunger strike.
"I've spoken with patients who say bluntly: they preferred prison. At least there they had more privacy."
The expert emphasizes that the solution is not to change the center's management, but rather a comprehensive reform of the 2013 law. Current regulations allow for indefinite detention at KOZZD without any real verification mechanisms.
"Changes are needed: stays at the KOZZD must be time-limited, and decisions on extending them should be made by a collegial court, based on the opinion of a team of specialists," says Heitzman. "Today, only two psychiatric opinions are sufficient."
He also points out that KOZZD also receives people with serious mental illnesses who should be treated in specialized psychiatric hospitals, not in isolation.
A single patient's stay at KOZZD costs taxpayers nearly 2,500 PLN per day. Currently, the center houses approximately 140 people and employs nearly 400 staff.
– The Ministry of Health does not want to continue financing the treatment of something that, by definition, is impossible to cure – explains Heitzman.
Moreover, despite the growing number of patients, there are no plans to expand the center. Space constraints are becoming increasingly serious, and the law prohibits simple transfers of patients to other facilities, even if they were more suitable.
According to the professor, the reason for the lack of change is politicians' fear of public opinion's reaction.
"These are sex offenders, so there's a lot of social acceptance for violating their rights. For many, the biggest mistake was not giving them the death penalty. And since they're alive, no one cares what their conditions are."
Professor Heitzman emphasizes that the law was created as a response to the expiration of sentences for the most dangerous criminals, at a time when life imprisonment was not yet a legal option. However, today it requires a thorough review.
"We need to move away from a law based on revenge. We need to return to the principle of justice," the professor says unequivocally.
Updated: 12/08/2025 10:49
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