BASIC INFORMATION
The legal status of Prisons Administration
According to the Section 2 of Prisons Administration Law Latvian Prison Administration is a State administrative institution subordinated to the Ministry of Justice, which implements State policy in the field of detention as a security measure and the deprivation of liberty as the execution of a criminal punishment.
Goals of Administration’s operation, direction and implementation of the budget program
The main aim of Administration is the resocialization of sentenced persons in accordance with the principles of law, justice and equality and to reduce commitment of repeated offences.
The main areas of Administration's operation:
-
ensure the security regime in prisons;
-
monitor and ensure inmates behavioral norms, rights and obligations;
-
according the laws and regulations ensure the household and community amenities for prisoners;
-
provide medical care for prisoners;
-
organize mental care, social behavioral correction and social rehabilitation measures for prisoners;
-
ensure rights and obligations, legal protection, operation and social guarantees for staff;
-
provide professional guidance and professional continuing education for the employees.
Within the limits of its competence Administration:
-
cooperates with State and local authorities, non-governmental organizations, foreign and international institutions;
-
makes proposals to the Ministry of Justice regarding the regulatory enactments and participate in the drafting of relevant legislation;
-
participates in the preparation of the international agreement projects;
-
participates in State institutions projects;
-
informs the general public on Administration’s operation.
Symbols of the Administration
-
The Administration has a seal with the supplemented lesser State coat of arms and the full name of the institution, as well as a flag.
Staff of the Administration
-
The Administration staff is comprised of officials with special service ranks, general State civil service civil servants and employees. An official is a person with an appropriate professional education, qualification and special service rank, who have taken the oath and serves in the Administration. The rights and duties of an official shall be determined by this Law.
-
The State Civil Service Law determines the legal status, rights, duties and social guarantees of a general State civil service civil servant.
-
The Labour Law regulates the employment legal relations of employees.
Operation of Prisons and the Training Centre
-
Prisons carry out the execution of pre-trial detention as a security measure and deprivation of liberty as a criminal sentence, as well as ensures mental care, instruction, employment and resocialisation of sentenced persons.
-
There are the following prisons:
- remand prisons;
- closed prisons;
- partly-closed prisons;
- open prisons;
- correctional institutions for juveniles.
-
A prison is a structural unit of the Prisons Administration.
A prison governor has: the rights of a manager of an investigatory operations institution specified in the Investigatory Operations Law.
Visiting Prisons
The following persons have the right to visit prisons without a special permit;
the President;
the Chairperson of the Saeima;
the Prime Minister;
the Minister for Justice and the State Secretary of the Ministry of Justice;
the Prosecutor General and the prosecutors subordinated to him or her who perform supervision at prisons, as well as the chief prosecutors of the Office of the Prosecutor of the judicial regions in the territory of which the relevant prisons are located;
the Ombudsman.
Other persons are entitled to visit prisons in accordance with the procedures specified by regulatory enactments.
Operation of the Training Centre
The Training Centre is managed by a director of the Training Centre. The Training Centre ensures the professional training of such employees of the Administration who do not have a special service rank, as well as the improvement of the professional qualification of officials.