Latvia, Legislation, Real Estate, Society

After the first new prison opens in Liepaja, the Justice Ministry is planning to close the current Liepaja Prison, as well as the prisons in Jelgava, Brasa, and Vecumnieki, transferring inmates from these prisons, and part of inmates from Jekabpils Prison, to the new prison in Liepaja.

The next new prison has to be located in Latgale, taking into consideration the obsolete infrastructure of Daugavgriva Prison and the number of inmates there. The new prison should have a capacity for 1,200 inmates. As soon as the new prison opens, inmates from Daugavgriva Prison and Jekabpils Prison will be moved there.

The third new prison will be built in Greater Riga Region, notes the ministry. The reasons for this include the large number of inmates in Riga, obsolete infrastructure of Riga Central Prison, the locations of courts, and the fact that the Riga Central Prison is located in the center of the city. The new prison will have a capacity for 1,200 inmates. After the new prison in Greater Riga Region opens, the Riga Central prison will be closed and inmates from the prison will be moved to the new prison.

The fourth new prison needs to be located in Vidzeme province, as close to the current prison in Valmiera as possible. The prison should have a capacity for 1,000 inmates. If the new prison is not built in the current complex of Valmiera Prison, then the latter will be shut down after the new prison is built. The fifth new prison should be built in the territory of the current Olaine Prison, which already includes the Latvian Prisons' Hospital, a detoxification facility will also be built there.

After the new prison in Olaine is built, the Ilguciems Prison for women will be closed, and its inmates will be transferred to the new prison, as the majority of female inmates serve sentences for crimes involving possession of narcotic substances and many have dependence problems.

The correctional facility for minors in Cesis will remain in its current location and with the same capacity of 160 inmates.

The Justice Ministry's report also notes that if the number of inmates in Latvia's prisons continues to decrease, the new hospitals may have lower capacity, as other countries' experience shows that maintenance and management of smaller prisons is easier, and they also ensure more individual approach to inmates. Therefore the new system of correctional institutions will include six new prisons with a total capacity for 5,390 inmates, and all the relevant international principles will be adhered to.