Prison situation worsens in Latvia

Jul 03, 2009
TBT staff

The number of prison inmates continues to grow

RIGA- The Latvian Prison Administration has announced that as the number of inmates grows, by the end of the year the administration may run out of money. The number of inmates has grown is recent months, said General Visvaldis Pukite, chief of the Prison Administration.

Pukite told Justice Minister Mareks Seglins that the budget cuts introduced greatly affected prisons in Latvia. The number of inmates has increased in the last six months from 6500 to 7200, said Pukite, with numbers reaching 7800 by the end of 2009.

The Prison Administration said that it will need over 2 million lats to cover costs. The administration did say that had the budget not been cut by 30 percent, they would have been able to make ends meet.

Pukite told reporters that he did not see a viable solution to the problem.

"We are already economizing on everything we can: Parlielupe Prison has been shut down, several prison administrations have been merged, but the desired effect has not been achieved because utility bills have increased on the average all over Latvia," said Pukite.

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