Latvian Prison Administration

The Latvian prison system has been undergoing significant changes over the past few years. Professional staff is one of the leading factors for successful change and development of our system. It is important for the staff to incorporate an understanding of the convicted person's situation in their daily work, in order to create a positive relationship based on cooperation and interaction.

To facilitate this, the Prison Administration is not only working on opening a new Training Centre, but with the support of the European Social Fund, is also developing modern training programs for education and development of staff, providing support measures to increase the integration of ex-prisoners into society and the labour market. Also, it is considerably important to realize that convicts cannot simply be locked up in four walls and hope that they become better. To bring about change, we work on the offender’s attitude and conduct; we identify mistakes and teach the right patterns of behaviour.

Our daily task is not only to provide a safe environment for offenders, where they do not harm society, but also to enable them to re-enter society as productive and law-abiding fellow citizens thorough re-socialization work. Thus, contributing to the safety of our country and society as a whole.