NCJ Number
163553
Journal
Penological Information Bulletin Issue: 19 and 20 Dated: (December 1994-1995) Pages: 18-23
Date Published
1995
Length
6 pages
Annotation
Based on the author's visits to prisons in the Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania), this paper identifies problems in these prisons and suggests ways in which other member states of the Council of Europe could help upgrade the prison systems of the Baltic states.
Abstract
For the purpose of this paper the term "prison" is used for "any establishment in which persons are deprived of their liberty for the investigation of an alleged criminal offense, to await trial, or to serve a term of imprisonment." All three of the prison systems inherited inadequate buildings. Some are old and in need of routine maintenance; many prisons are inadequate for the provision of basic services, such as washing, bathing, toilets, laundry, and kitchen services. All facilities are overcrowded, short of financial resources, and deprived of professionally trained personnel. The living and working conditions in the prisons could be improved significantly at relatively little cost. This would require, however, an increase in managerial commitment and the greater involvement of the supervisory staff in improving the overall standards of cleanliness and hygiene. Living conditions in the prisons could be improved by removing barriers to natural light and ventilation in the cells, by improving the level of artificial light, by requiring the inmates to keep their cells clean, and by providing them with the means to do so. Member states of the Council of Europe could assist the Baltic states in reducing prison overcrowding by advising and training personnel in ways to reduce the pretrial detention population and expand the use of community-based sentencing alternatives. Other suggestions are offered in the areas of medical services, the management of various categories of inmates, and the training of prison personnel.