Ex-cons demand better life after prison

RIGA - Three men in black-and-white striped uniforms brandishing placards stood in front of the presidential castle as a crowd of journalists gathered around them. Their signs read, "We also want to live normal lives."

The former prisoners are protesting what they see as a desperate situation after prison. Upon release, prisoners in Latvia receive warm clothes and 5 lats ($7.80) in travel expenses. But many, they say, have no home to return to. Without an official place of residence, they have little hope of finding a job.

Many cannot sign a lease because their passports are not returned immediately. They liken their life outside of prison to a second prison term.

Many Western countries provide social rehabilitation centers for former inmates, said Angelita Kamenska, director of the Soros Foundation's prison and police program in Latvia. Former prisoners can often live in them for up to six months until they find a flat and a job. The employees at the centers are specialists who work with former inmates.

In Latvia, however, social rehabilitation centers have room for only 50 ex-prisoners. About 2,500 are released each year.

"In the West, social rehabilitation centers begin to work with a prisoner half a year before his or her release, because there are people who don't have families, or who have families that are not prepared to take them back," she said.

Aivars Celms, a former inmate at Valmiera Prison and one of the main organizers of the picket, said they had written an official letter to the president in the hope she would find a solution.

Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga passed their letter on to Dainis Luks, director of prisons administration of the Justice Ministry. Luks said he would respond this week, although he showed little mercy for ex-convicts.

"First of all, these are people who have crudely violated the law. They think they are poor fellows and that no one loves them. Of course no one is to blame.

"The government assumes that after a prisoner's release he receives warm clothes and 5 lats as pocket money. This pocket money is received by former inmates who really need it. Unfortunately, conditions are such that the government hasn't provided money for former inmates this year or the last," said Luks.

The law says that prisoners should receive money equaling one month's minimum wage, about 50 lats. Around 27 percent of prisoners are able to work while in prison, which sometimes gives them a better start upon their release, said Luks.

In Spain, by way of example, former inmates receive 75 percent of the minimum wage for six months.

For many convicts in Latvia, however, life on release is so grim that they return to crime, and find themselves back in prison.

No home, no job

Another of the picket initiators, Genadij Ovsenikov, said he was released five months ago but had no registration of residence, no place to live, and no job .

"I was registered in Riga, but then they removed me from the list. Now I don't know what to do. I can't get work without registration of residence," he said.

Three days after the picket Ovsenikovs received a flat, though it lacks heat and hot water.

By law a prisoner can be released before his sentence is up only if the prison administration has guarantees that a parolee will have a residence registration and a place to live in.

The law further says that former inmates should be registered in the same municipality where they were living prior to their incarceration.

Many municipalities, however, have waiting lists for social housing from pensioners and large families, and cannot make guarantees that parolees will have a place where to live.

Kamenska says this policy is discriminatory.

"Therefore a large number of prisoners have no motivation to behave well and get released early," she explained.

Former inmates additionally complain that they can't obtain their passports the same day they are released. This was also mentioned in the letter sent to the president.

Luks disagrees.

"If the convict really wants to, he can get his or her passport the same day. They should learn themselves how to handle their own affairs."

According to Luks, 1,147 prisoners were released from prison in 2001, and 352 of them lack passports.

Kamenska pointed out that all prisoners had passports when they entered prison. When their passports were taken away from them they were lost by the police or in the court system, but not at the prison, she said.

On a brighter note, a new social rehabilitation center will be opening this spring in Riga, with an alternative punishment program and assistance for former inmates to get back on their feet.

But Kamenska is not sure that additional social homes are the answer either.

"It's possible to create countless social rehabilitation centers, but in this country there are too many inmates," she said. "The state should focus on reaching the level that punishment in jail is the last step. One [prison] employee has to work with 50 to 100 convicts. We're not talking here about psychological help, but it's always good if an employee remembers a prisoner's name."