Ida Ismail
The treatment, rehabilitation and reintegration of convicted persons constitutes a fundamental component of the criminal justice system, with a direct impact on public safety, the protection of human rights and sustainable social development. The purpose of a custodial sentence, according to international standards and national legislation, is not only to isolate the individual from society, but also to promote positive behavioral change and prepare the convicted person to reintegrate as an active citizen after the end of the sentence.
Essentially, the penitentiary system should not be simply a space of isolation, but an opportunity for change. But, in a report of the Supreme State Audit Office (KLSH), the Albanian reality tells a different story. Prisons continue to function mainly as detention structures, where the transformative aspect remains weak and often formal.
Educational, vocational, and psychosocial programs exist, but they are limited in scope and often disconnected from economic reality. This means that many convicts leave prison without the minimal skills to build a new life.
One of the biggest problems is related to the way public funds are used. The report highlights that although the prison system budget has changed over the years, there is a lack of a clear focus on rehabilitation and reintegration. Investments have been concentrated mainly on security, vehicles and equipment, while aspects directly related to the life and development of prisoners have been left behind.
The infrastructure in some institutions is dilapidated and in certain cases problematic for dignified treatment. The lack of investment in education, vocational training and social facilities makes it even more difficult to fulfill the rehabilitation mission.
Another worrying element is the high number of pre-trial detainees, which constitute over half of the prison population in some years. This situation creates overcrowding and significantly burdens the functioning of the institutions.
Beyond the numbers, less space, fewer resources, and fewer opportunities for individual treatment. Under these conditions, rehabilitation becomes a difficult objective to achieve.
Cooperation remains on paper
Reintegration cannot be achieved by a single institution. It requires coordination between many actors: Justice, employment, education and local government. However, the audit shows that this cooperation is often formal and ineffective.
One of the most obvious failures is the lack of inclusion of ex-convicts in employment programs. They are not treated as a separate category and are often not even registered as beneficiaries of employment Services. Current laws do not oblige local units to create specific programs for ex-convicts. As a result, municipalities do not have structures for reintegration, post-penal social programs are lacking, and there is no support after leaving prison.
This creates a dangerous vacuum: The individual leaves prison without support, without a job, and often without a functional social network, significantly increasing the risk of returning to crime.
The audit also highlights serious administrative problems: incomplete psychosocial files, formal and non-functional employment registers, and a lack of data on the progress of convicts. Vocational training programs are also not monitored on a continuous basis. There is no clear analysis of their effectiveness, nor any connection to the real labor market.
All these problems create a clear chain: Lack of rehabilitation during the sentence, lack of support after release and finally, difficulties in integrating into society. In this way, the system fails to break the cycle, but in some cases becomes part of it.
In the end, the main question remains: Is the Albanian system preparing convicts for a life outside prison? The data shows that not enough.acqj.al
