GARĪGĀ APRŪPE SODA IZCIEŠANAS VIETĀS. (Lithuanian)

Following the restoration of Latvia's independence, the Soviet-time system of prisons had to be replaced with the system of state penitentiary institutions. In 1994, the Ministry of the Interior developed instructions concerning the procedure for the regulation of the provision of religious services in Latvia's prisons. In the same year, the Advisory Council of Religious Matters was set up within the Social Rehabilitation Division of the Prison Department. In 2003, the state provided funding to the Prison Department for establishing a chaplain service in prisons. The Guidelines for Resocialization of Prisoners 2015-2020 provide for one chaplain per 250 sentenced persons, but lack of funding hampers the attaining of this aim. The principles governing the relationship between the Church and the State are also applied to the relationship between the Church and the Prison. Constitution of the Republic of Latvia stipulates that the Church shall be separate from the State. Following long discussions on the laws to be used to regulate the relationship between the State and the Church, it was decided that the Concordat concluded between the Holy Seat and the State of Latvia before World War II (1922) would serve as a basis for the respective legislation. The Concordat was revised and adapted to the needs of other denominations. Given the fact that Latvia's prisons do not register religion of convicts, it is impossible to establish the number of cases when they revert to their religion or convert to another religion. In the context of Latvia's multi-faith society, conversion is a sensitive issue, and it depends on the chaplain's individual position on this issue. The chaplain hired by the Prison Department has to ensure religious care of prisoners and also accommodate their requests to invite a chaplain of another denomination or religion to visit them. Since a large majority of prisoners were born and raised during the years of the Soviet power when religious freedom was strictly limited, most of them do not know the denomination they might belong to (many children were baptized secretly, and families did not practise religion). If the convict requires religious care, he or she is usually first offered the services provided by the prison's chaplain only. Therefore, reverting to religion in prisons means joining Baptists, Adventists, or Pentecosts. The number of Muslims in prisons can be determined approximately according to the number of requests for Islamic religious items. Currently it is impossible to establish the rate at which the convicts convert to Islam, since in the past conversion to Islam in prison took place in the presence of two witnesses, but today Muslims allow for converting to Islam during a telephone conversation. No social discussions about prisoner's problems are taking place in Latvia, since the public is not interested in what is going on behind the prison gate. No debate on religious care in prisons has been initiated either, although there is no reason to believe that the religious organizations referred to in the Regulations on the Chaplain Service are the only ones that can be entrusted with religious care in prisons. The difference in treatment of various religions is still present in prisons. Moreover, there are doubts as to the validity of this difference in treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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