NCJ Number
165416
Journal
Corrections Compendium Volume: 21 Issue: 12 Dated: (December 1996) Pages: 25-27
Date Published
1996
Length
3 pages
Annotation
A report from the Council of Europe describes the prison system in Lithuania and offers recommendations for bringing it into closer conformity with European standards.
Abstract
The analysis was based on site visits by experts during February and March 1995. The analysis revealed that the Lithuanian penal system generally operated in accordance with the Criminal Code of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics until 1990 and has undergone changes through legislation and decrees since then. The current range of sanctions includes fines, community work, suspended sentences supervised by staff of the police and prisons services, determinate sentences of imprisonment for periods of up to 20 years, life imprisonment, and capital punishment. The use of imprisonment has been steadily increasing. About half of all offenders are expected to be sentenced to prison in the near future. Only inmates whose offenses arose from carelessness or negligence or whose first offense is minor may be sentenced to the only open prison. The open prison regime is much less restrictive than that of closed prisons and includes the possibility of living in private accommodations in the neighboring community. The closed conditions are provided in prisons with cells and a restricted regime and colonies with dormitories and relative freedom of movement within the secure perimeter. The closed institutions have large industrial areas, but work opportunities are limited and only a small proportion of inmates are employed. Some inmates are eligible for early release after serving one-third of the sentence. Correctional personnel receive relatively low salaries. Map and table