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Annual report of Nord Balt Prison Project carried out in Latvia and Lithuania in 1999.

Report of Deputy Director General, Asbjørn Langås

The prison cooperation between Norway and Latvia has fulfilled a lot of activities in 1999. One of the most important issues has been to improve education and work activities in Latvian prisons. Eemphasis has been put on the TB problems and improvement of the prison conditions.

Four prisons in Latvia are connected up to four prisons in Norway. This present year the cooperation work has been on a high level. Truckloads of different materials, studytrips and network building have been important contributions to this year’s work. The Norwegian twin prisons, have made a number of reports this past year. Probation service in Norway and Lithuania run a probation and aftercare in Lithuania. The aim of this project is to establish probation and parole in Lithuania.

From 15–21 March 1999, Norway received a visit from Latvia’s Minister of Justice, Ingrida Labucka, who was greatly impressed by the cooperation between the twin prisons and the school authorities. Minister of Education and Science in Latvia, Silva Golde, has recently(26.-31.Oktober) been in Norway to discuss education and work activities in prisons with Jon Lilletun, the Norwegian Minister of Education and Science . They agreed to further develop and strengthen the cooperation between the Norwegian and Latvian school authorities.

Ila state prison - Valmiera prison

During a studyvisit to Latvia, by the Norwegian Ministry of Justice and Norwegian Ministry of Education, it was established contact between prisons-and local school authorities.

In Norway Rud Vocational School has the responsibility for teaching and training at Ila state prison. After the first visit the school authorities in Norway and Latvia agreed to employ two teachers for vocational teaching and training in Valmiera prison. Latvian authorities will pay for one, and Norway for the other. The first transport of school equipment arrived Valmiera in February 1999. The shipment included computers, floor covering, automatic equipment for wood processing, electrical equipment, paint etc.

In addition to this, one teacher from Valmiera has been on a studyvisit to Ila state prison and Rud Vocationally School.. Rud Vocational School has also visited other schools in Ila comunity and informed and talked about the project. This autumn Rud Vocational Shcool will teach the pupils at Rud about the Baltic states, especially Latvia. The school hopes to provide more equipment- like hardware and software for the computers.

Every year, the Priest and the prisoners at Ila start a solidarity aid for the prisoners in Valmiera. They make personal gifts. When Christmas arrive, the priest and some of the staff bring the packets to Valmiera, and deliver each prisoner a personal packet.

Grivas and Trondheim have signed longtime agreement of cooperation about practical and methodologial assistance to develop Grivas prison

Brundalen Vocational School has the responsibility for vocational teaching-and training in Trondheim local prison. In cooperation with Grivas prison and the local school authorities in Grivas it was decided to start up with teaching-and training in Grivas prison. The project started in January 1999. Agreements were signed and salary for a teacher was given from Norway.

In addition 10 industrial sewing machines have been delivered and a training course in sewing has been established. There are also plans for delivering 10 computers for training and teaching in the prison. In cooperation with Trondheim local prison an "activity-and probation course" in Grivas prison has been established. This course is a model from Trondheim local prison.

In addition to the school activities, Trondheim local prison has bought a crosscut saw and two wood drying machines. This equipment has been installed for production. Grivas prepared localities and production halls for production. Brundalen has trained and teached inmates and staff how to use the wood processing equipment. In cooperation with Ultimus, a firm which had been working with wood processing in balticum for many years. They have signed a contract to produce bird houses. The first 10 000 birdhouses were produced in September 1999.

Most of the production is made for sale in the Scandinavian market. The prison produces several wood products, like benches, shelfs, tables etc. The production provides work for over 100 inmates and makes an important income for the prison.

Oslo local prison-Riga central prison

Oslo local prison has sent 6 truckloads to Riga central prison. Equipment’s like clothes, footwear, furniture, medical euipment like; operation lamps, electrical surgical saw, electrical curgical drill, electrical plasticbag sealer, electrical beds, EKG, two field hospitals etc. are delivered for the prison hospital. Also electrical equipment for the prison kitchen has been delivered, such as electrical firingpan, electrical stove, steamboilers etc.

Next year Oslo prepare to send a complete telephone exchange with 160 telephone instruments.

There have also been several studyvisits from Latvia. At this studyvisits, leaders, staff from the prison hospital and other staff members have been visiting several Norwegian cooperation partners. They have seen and learned about the Norwegian prison system and brought this learning with them back home. The studyvisits have also built up a relationship of trust between people in Riga and Oslo.

Arendal local prison-Jecabpils prison

Jekabpils prison has, with some help from Norway, rebuild and renovated buildings which are used for school-activities today. They are now continuing this work and will soon have 8 new rooms for group activities, 2 new classrooms and workrooms for the teachers.

From Norway they have got 10-12 used PC’s for teaching purposes in up to date computer programmes (latest version of MS-Office, Windows 95 among others), equipment for the Life education course (stove, washing machine, microwave oven and etc.), used machinery for the carpenter workshop (updated to today’s security standards) and we can supply the prison with more machinery for the workshops in 1999.

Representatives from the school and prison in Jekabpils have been visiting Arendal and some teachers from Arendal have been in Jekabpils and trained the prison staff in using the machines in the carpenter workshop. In Jekabpils it is now possible to study Latvian and Russian language and literature, mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, health education, history, the history of Culture, English and computer.

The aim of the project is to establish probation and parole service in Lithuanian, reduce crime and create reforms in the prison system.

This spring (1999) four students from the school of Social Work in Oslo stayed for almost two months in Vilnius in order to evaluate the project. They have published their report, in the Norwegian language. We intend to go on supporting the project for one more year, and then transfer the project to the Lithuanian authorities and the Canadian Probation Project. Of course on the assumption that the Canadians want to follow up the project.

Ministry of Justice

Our task in this cooperation has been to coordinate the twin prison project, put the process forward and managing the process. This year we have been working with three main issues in the twin prisons:

1) School and education

Our purpose has been to establish vocational teaching and training in the twin prisons and follow -up the conference of education and work activities in Oslo (1998). In cooperation with the National Education Office in Hordaland County we agreed to pick out three Vocational schools which already cooperated with the Norwegian prison authorities. These three schools, Rud Vocational School, Brundalen Vocational School and Blakstad Vocational School have an extensive and well established teaching and training programme in Trondheim local prison, Arendal local prison and Ila state prison. Next step was to connect the school authorities in Norway and Latvia. The local school authorities in Daugavpils, Jecabpils and Valmieras have joined the project and are now cooperating with the three vocational schools in Norway. The local school authorities have received money to employ teachers in the prisons, to buy school equipment, computers, machines and to put teaching and training in system.

2) Tuberculosis

Several times has this important issue been mentioned for the authorities in Latvia. Lots have been done to finance medical equipment for use in Latvian prisons. During the two last years the level of TB has gone from 3%-320 persons in 1996 up to 524 persons - 5% in 1998. From Latvian Prison Authorities initiative there has been taken to open a TB hospital on the territory of Olaine. This work has been started and constructions have been made in Oleine prison. Next year this hospital will be able to receive over 350 TB inmates. Norway will support Oleine with matrerial equipment.

3) Working activities

In Valmiera, Jecabpils and Grivas they have wood productions. With help from woodworking machines from Norway, inmates are producing several wood products. Especially in Grivas where they are producing high quality wood products for the free market. Grivas prison has new localities for production and a high level of employment among the inmates.

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In our opinion the Nord-Balt Prison Project cooperation between Norway and Latvia have given Norwegian prisons a new an important international dimension. The cooperation has given us knowledge and understanding of a another culture and their way of living.