NCJ Number
212008
Date Published
2005
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This article presents findings on the characteristics of foreign inmates imprisoned in the Czech Republic and the problems associated with incarcerating them.
Abstract
Since the Czech Republic opened its borders Czech prisons have been swelling with foreign offenders, creating prisoner protests and riots. The current research relied on secondary analysis of documents, analysis of statistical data, a questionnaire, and semi-standardized interviews to explore the characteristics and problems associated with foreign inmates within Czech prisons. Findings confirmed that the most problematic group of foreign nationals in Czech prisons is Ukrainians, who have migrated to the Czech Republic mainly for economic reasons. Along with the migration of individuals from Ukraine came the migration of crime; Ukrainians currently have the highest rate of detected criminal offenses after the Slovaks. At the core of the Ukrainian inmate problem is their organization within specific prison subcultures, creating a sense of internal unity and mutual support. The characteristics of Russian national prisoners, Vietnamese prisoners, and prisoners from Islamic and Balkan countries are similarly described. Finally, recommendations are offered for effectively dealing with problems created by foreign prisoners and include the training of prison staff for work with foreigners and obtaining previous criminal records for foreign nationals accused of crimes in the Czech Republic.