The objective of the visit was to examine the implementation of the recommendations of the Committee formulated in the report on the periodic visit carried out in 2021, in particular as regards widespread inter-prisoner violence as well as the abundance of illegal drugs in prisons combined with a lack of targeted strategies to help the large numbers of prisoners using drugs. To this end, the CPT delegation carried out follow-up visits to Alytus, Marijampolė, Pravieniškės, and Vilnius Prisons.
The findings of the 2024 visit set out in this report indicate that the Lithuanian authorities have taken a number of steps to address the above-mentioned problems. However, the situation observed in the four prisons visited demonstrates that with legal and organisational changes alone only partial progress can be made.
The report describes in detail the shortcomings in the recording and investigation of inter-prisoner violence as well as the multi-faceted causes of such violence – illicit drug use, informal prisoner hierarchy, and totally inadequate custodial staff presence in accommodation areas.
Without a carefully thought-out strategic approach dedicated to combating the informal prisoner hierarchy and its malignant activities and effects, and a radical and urgent increase in the numbers of custodial staff (who must be adequately remunerated, appropriately trained, and motivated), the dire situation found in Lithuanian prisons will persist, with very harmful consequences for many individuals and society more generally.
In the report, the CPT calls upon the Lithuanian authorities to demonstrate concrete and sustained efforts to tackle these challenging issues if they are to persuade the Committee not to resort to a public statement under the procedure enshrined in Article 10, paragraph 2 of the Convention establishing the CPT.