At a joint meeting of the collegium of the regional prosecutor's office and the presidium of the Vitebsk Regional Court, held via video conferencing, the results of the generalization of judicial practice in civil cases on sending citizens to correctional labor facilities were reviewed, as well as the effectiveness of prosecutorial supervision over the enforcement of legislation in the consideration of these cases.

The study of civil cases of this category has shown that the activities of all interested state bodies and institutions in fulfilling the requirements of the Law of the Republic of Belarus "On the procedure and conditions for sending citizens to therapeutic and labor prophylactic institutions and the conditions of their stay therein" (hereinafter referred to as the Law) require intensification and further improvement.

Compared to 2016, the number of people registered with narcologists decreased slightly last year, from 19,945 to 19,689 people, of whom those suffering from alcohol dependence decreased from 19,080 to 18,900 people.

According to judicial statistics, in 2017, compared to 2016, the number of applications from internal affairs bodies to send citizens to therapeutic and labor prophylactic institutions considered by courts decreased from 1248 to 1140. 1029 applications were granted. At the same time, 10% of the applications were deemed unfounded by the court and were denied.

The study of judicial practice has established that the internal affairs bodies do not always strictly comply with the requirements of the Law, and procrastination is observed when sending citizens for medical examination, forwarding cases for consideration by courts, and when executing court decisions. Despite the decrease in the total number of applications received by the court, the number of applications left without consideration by the court has doubled, which indicates a deterioration in the quality of preparation of materials by the internal affairs bodies.

Shortcomings have been identified in the activities of commissions of healthcare organizations providing narcological assistance during medical examinations.

Courts do not always approach the assessment of grounds for sending a citizen to a therapeutic and labor prophylactic institution uniformly. The question remains controversial as to which methods of treatment for alcohol dependence exclude sending a citizen to a therapeutic and labor prophylactic institution for medico-social rehabilitation, and what period of abstinence from alcohol can indicate a stable remission. Often, after refusing to send a citizen to a therapeutic and labor prophylactic institution due to his taking measures for voluntary treatment, for example, by administering a drug that blocks the use of

alcohol, this citizen is again brought to administrative responsibility for committing offenses while intoxicated.

Isolation in a therapeutic labor rehabilitation center (TLRC) is a measure to restrict the civil rights of persons who abuse alcoholic beverages and violate public order, and at the same time, it is a way to protect the rights of citizens suffering from their actions.

At the meeting of the collegium of the regional prosecutor's office and the presidium of the Vitebsk Regional Court, with the participation of representatives of internal affairs bodies, healthcare institutions, and chairmen of the region's courts, issues of applying the Law were discussed. A decision was made in accordance with the requirements of the Head of State to intensify the work of all interested state bodies and institutions in preventing offenses, and in preventing and suppressing domestic violence and everyday crime.

Head of the Department for Supervision of Compliance with the Law of Judicial Decisions in Civil Cases,
Senior Justice Counselor I. Titkova.