OSCE Presence, General Directorate of Prisons present policy paper on reducing overcrowding in Albania’s prisons

TIRANA, 15 December 2015 – An OSCE-supported policy paper providing recommendations on how to address overcrowding in prisons and in pre-trial facilities in Albania was presented today at an event held in the Justice Ministry.

As noted in the document, official figures show that the prison population has continuously increased since 2012, reaching its most critical level in 2014. Currently, prisons in Albania have about 18% more offenders than they can properly hold.

“Significant growth of the overall prison population presents a major challenge to the prison administration and to the criminal justice system as a whole, both in terms of human rights of those detained and for the efficient management of penal institutions,” said Florian Raunig, the Head of the OSCE Presence in Albania.

Raunig emphasized that measures aimed at combating prison overcrowding and reducing the size of the prison population need to be part of a coherent and rational criminal policy. It has to be directed towards the prevention of crime and criminal behaviour, effective law enforcement, public safety and protection, the individualization of sanctions and measures, as well as the social reintegration of offenders. He added that such measures should be supported by political and administrative leaders, judges, prosecutors and the general public.

The policy paper recommends, among other measures, a revision of the punitive approach, a re-classification of criminal offences, and increased use of alternatives to imprisonment.

“I would emphasize that deprivation of liberty should be a measure of last resort. It should only be applied where the seriousness of the offence would make any other measure clearly inadequate,” Raunig said.

Welcoming the policy paper, General Director of Prisons Artur Zoto considered the document as the first of its kind. The Justice Minister Ylli Manjani said that the paper’s recommendations will become part of his working agenda.

The working group that prepared the policy paper was set up and chaired by the OSCE Presence in Albania upon the request of the General Directorate of Prisons. It was composed of representatives from the Presence, the General Directorate and the European Union Twinning Project on the Penitentiary System and the Probation Service in Albania.

The OSCE Presence has supported the establishment and the work of the Probation Service in Albania since 2009. The number of offenders on probation has continuously increased, from 705 in the first year to 18,250 in 2015.