Psychology brings new light to Lithuanian prison

  • 2006-02-15
  • By Christian Lindner
VILNIUS - Andrej, a 28-year-old inmate of Vilnius Pataisos Darbu Kolonija, is unafraid of denouncing the institution he has called home for five years.
"I live in a cell with four other persons. In our prison, that is a luxury. Other prisoners have to share a room with 20 or even 30 people," he says. "Going to the toilet is really disgusting here. It's like on the streets."

Five years ago, Andrej was sentenced to two years in prison after getting into a brawl. In jail, he got into a fight where he killed a man, and received another seven years.

But he does have some hope: "The psychologists and social workers are a tiny light in the darkness. They work and talk with everybody who needs their help. They show us how to live among other people. They give us love and teach us culture."

"I believe that every human being is good," says Ceslovas Laikovskis, one of the prison's social workers. "It is your malady, your addiction that made you commit evil things."

Laikovskis, a small man of 54, teaches a 12-step program at the prison hospital to help the inmates overcome addiction. The prisoners hang onto every one of his words.

"First you have to learn to love yourself," he says. "You have to accept yourself as you are in order to get rid of your addiction."

Social work is still a new thing for Lithuanian prisons. "Only after the prison reforms in 2003, have prisons begun to change," says Rita Bandzeviciene, associate professor for penitentiary psychology at the Mykolas Romeris University in Vilnius. "But the changes that have been achieved in the last three years are remarkable."

Bandzeviciene notes a major shift in priorities in prisons. "In the past, the primary function of prisons used to consist in punishment. Since the reforms were initiated, rehabilitation has become a central matter."

Prison psychologists and social workers have been introduced to the prison. Prisoners are more aware of their rights and can complain when they are badly treated by staff. Journalists and humanitarian organizations have better access to prisons, which in Lithuania consist of a total population of 7,969.

"People finally realize that prisons exist," she says. "They get in touch with this isolated subculture."

there are still problems. "Our country still needs at least 10 years to catch up with Western European standards."

The main mission of the psychologists is to prepare inmates for an independent life when they are released. "Many of us don't really know what to do when they come out. The state does not care about our future," says Andrej. "After prison, we are completely left alone."

The difficulties of finding a job and readjusting to normal life leads to a recidivism rate of between 20 and 30 percent, according to Bandzeviciene.

Some inmates are pessimistic as to whether the psychological or social work does any good at all. "Many don't believe that this work is of any use," says Andrej. "Just one year ago I was also very sceptical. I thought that psychologists didn't work at all, that they just pretended to do something."

"Some of [the inmates] think we were working for the administration, spying on them, denouncing them," says Vita Povilaityte, 27, one of the prison's two psychologists. "That's why they are not open towards us."

"A problem is also that we have to write a psychological assessment about each prisoner," says her colleague, Odeta Danciunaite, 28. "This assessment is handed over to the judge. The prisoners think we are responsible for their sentence."

The prison administration, on the other hand, "suspect[s] us to destroy the order of the prison," says Povilaityte.

Trust, an essential part of all therapy, is a particularly hard thing to earn in these circumstances.

Prisoners are already dissatisfied with other medical care in the prison. "They think we are responsible for providing them with all-round care," says Tatjana Minkeviciene, a prison physician. "But we can only provide ambulant treatment here."

For major medical problems, prisoners have to be transported to Lukiskiu Prison in the center of Vilnius. But life at the prison could be worse.

Convicts can move around somewhat freely through an exercise yard during daylight hours. And there is a library with more than 14,000 books. Andrej has a job folding papers.

"Of course it is boring," he says. "But I'm satisfied I can do something."

Adding to this situation, the social workers are understaffed and they can't help everyone. "In Sweden, for example, the number of prison staff nearly equals the number of inmates. With many competent co-workers you can provide far better care," says Danciunaite.

The psychologists often face a lack of time, which at times has led to tragedy. "One day, an inmate came to my office and wanted to talk. But I didn't have the time to pay sufficient attention to him. Later, I discovered that he had been beaten by some other inmates. I should have reacted at once. For this, I felt guilty."

Still, "It is a wonderful success when your efforts are appreciated," she says. "Some of our clients come to us and confirm that we really could help them with their problems. A few even tell us that they changed their lives."

Andrius, a 47-year-old inmate who is serving a sentence for manslaughter, is one of the people who has changed for the better. "Thanks to the psychologists, I really changed my attitude towards women. Formerly I hated women, now I realize that they are not all bad."