LATVIAN PRISON SYSTEM – THE PROSPECTS FOR FUTURE

DEVELOPMENT

Ilona Kronberga

Centre for Public Policy

Centre for Public Policy PROVIDUS: Ilona Kronberga

““One of the most amazing things aboutOne of the most amazing things about

prisons is that they ‘work’ at all….”prisons is that they ‘work’ at all….”

Cressey, D. (ed.) (1961). The Prison: Studies in Institutional Organization. NY: Holt, Rinehart, Winston (p.2).

Brief background information onBrief background information on prisons in Latviaprisons in Latvia

Today there are 11 prisons and one Today there are 11 prisons and one

ccorrectional institution for juvenilesorrectional institution for juveniles in Latviain Latvia

Total number of inmates is ~6900

but in the beginning of this year was 7055

Location of inmates in prisonsLocation of inmates in prisons

• Correctional institution for juveniles - 1,4 % • Open prisons - 3,0 %• Semi-closed prisons - 13,3 %• Closed prisonsClosed prisons - - 5 544,,1 1 %% • Investigative prisons - 28,2 %

Released in 200Released in 20099 year year

Total number -Total number - 2511 including 2511 including: : – after the end of the sentence period –after the end of the sentence period – 1892 1892– before the end of the sentence periodbefore the end of the sentence period – 600 – 600 – released released owing to hard illnessowing to hard illness - - 11 11– released released owing toowing to amnesty - amnesty - 8 8

The challenges we face in our The challenges we face in our prison systemprison system

• Education and employment of inmates;• Prison infrastructure, including new

facilities;• Minors and young people in prisons;• Necessity for a new legal framework for

enforcement of sentences - new Sentence Enforcement Law;

• Seriously evaluated reform of prison personnel.

From a legal point of view the prison environment is very sensitive:

“…every instance of brutality in prisons,every casual racist joke and demeaning

remark, every ignored petition, everyunwarranted bureaucratic delay, every

inedible meal, every arbitrary decision tosegregate or transfer without giving clear

and unfounded reasons, every pettymiscarriage of justice, every futile and

inactive period of time — is delegitimating”

Sparks, R. and Bottoms, A.E. (1995). ‘Legitimacy and Order in Prisons’, The British Journal of Sociology, 46, 1, 45-62 (p.60).

We have to reform education and employment systems for inmates

The educational process in prisons The educational process in prisons isis organized in line with organized in line with ““Education Policy Education Policy Guidelines for Inmates 2006 – 2012Guidelines for Inmates 2006 – 2012””

68,3% of all inmates are aged 22 - 4068,3% of all inmates are aged 22 - 40

...to reform education and employment systems for inmates

Among convicted persons there are many people who have a low level of general education. For example - lower than 23% of convicts do not have any elementary education.

Employment of inmates is one of the most intricate tasks

• 1 141 inmates were employed in 2009. 632 of them have worked in the prisons crew. 509 working places for convicts were set up by businessmen. The average employment rate during the year was 23% of all working-aged.

• 1379 inmates were employed in 2008. 711 of them have worked in the prisons crew. 671 working places for convicts were set up by businessmen. The average employment rate during the year was 24% of all working-aged.

Inmates employment...

In 2008 the Ministry of Justice drafted the concept paper to establish a new employment system for inmates.

Ministry of Justice is going to establish new regulatory

approaches for:• legal status of inmates, stating that prisoners who are

employed are a special category of employed persons;

• legal status of employers according to the type of prisons in which they work;

• determination of differences for employment of the convicted persons, forms and framework of the cooperation between merchants and prisons administration;

Ministry of Justice is going to establish new regulatory

approaches for:• wages for inmates;

• forms of inmates employment, to ensure for them the acquisition of vocation which helps in the job market after release from prison;

• social guarantee for the employed prisoners, including the release from prison etc.

...some thoughts...• Penal reformers support the idea that

prison has not always been the answer, but ministers in private often agreed, that it seems nothing will ever change.

• Nowadays, everything happens in prisons, except what there should be.

• I love the Lord because He loves our prisons indeed, because otherwise they would not exist.

We should significantly improve prison infrastructure, including new premises (cells) for

inmates• On 20.03.2007 in Cabinet of Ministers considered the

informative report of Ministry of Justice about the shortcomings and their whys and wherefores in prisons, in order to plan the work and to take the possible decisions to eliminate the shortages.

• On 03.04.2008 a conception of development of prison infrastructure was announced in the Meeting of the State Secretaries.

• The main goalThe main goal of the concept is to draft a new prison system where it is possible to provide effective sentence enforcement as well as to offer better solutions of attracting finances for building of new prison and in that way providing electivity of sentence enforcement and increasing public safety of dangers when the system of prisons is unsafe.

To improve prison infrastructure at the moment

Ministry of Justice has again set up a new version of prison infrastructure concept which provides for:

• drafting a prison system based on new principles;• only one new prison construction (DBO-project) for 1000

inmates;• project investments: ~ 70 million lats in 30 years period

including risk costs, infrastructure operating costs and costs of reconstruction in this period.

The Ministry of Justice intends to submit this project to the government in these days.

WWe should keep out of prison minors and e should keep out of prison minors and young peopleyoung people a as s longlong as possible, but if as possible, but if

they are in prisonthey are in prison,, it is a priority target group it is a priority target group

Latvia:Juveniles (percentage of prison population) 2.1% Prison population

rate (per 100,000 of national population) 314 based on an estimated national population of 2.25 million at beginning of 2010 (from Eurostat figures)

Estonia: Juveniles = 1.0%Finland: = 0.1%Russia: = 0.9% Romania: = 1.7% Belarus: = 1,2%Poland: = 0,6%Ukraine: = 1,0%

Necessity for a new legal framework for enforcement of

sentences

• entered into force 01.04.1971

• was established 23.12.1970

The personnel reform

“While the prison system was transferred from the Ministry of Interior to the Ministry of Justice in 2000, in 2007 the prison system remains significantly militarised with soviet style military management. Moreover, since 2006 the Prison Service ceased to be part of civil service. Directors of the 15 prisons, deputies and heads of service are officers, as about third of staff and ranks remain the same as with the police and border guards.”[1]

[1] Latvia, Shadow Report to the UN Committee against Torture; October 2007; Latvian Centre for Human Rights Latvia, Shadow Report to the UN Committee against Torture; October 2007; Latvian Centre for Human Rights (page 14).(page 14).

We should carry out seriously a well-considered personnel reform, including establishment of the education system

for prison officialsWe have often faced situations when we can say.....a prison environment provides considerable

opportunity for the capricious and arbitrary exercise of power, and for authorities to act based on personal prejudice and implicit bias

However, if people realize their mission......power - is an obligation, but freedom –

responsibility, and so it has always been

We will make the We will make the changes togetherchanges together!!

Thank you!

Ilona Kronberga,

Centre for Public Policy PROVIDUS

ilona@providus.lv