The bathrooms were damaged and reeked. There was mold and the level of cleanliness left much to be desired. There were no sheets on the beds for minors. The mattresses were of bad quality and the blankets were old and very thin. The cells where the minors stayed were large, there was enough light but the walls were not lime plastered. In some cells the windows were damaged and would not shut properly. The minors had complained about the windows because it would get cold at night.
This was how the National Mechanism to Prevent Torture, which was established by Ombudsperson Kosovo explained the conditions of the Correctional Center in Lipjan.
It was impossible to tell if these conditions have been improved by visiting the center. Nowadays journalists can only get information regarding the functioning of this center from the director.
Majlindë Lulaj, head of the Media and Public Relations Office at Obudsperson Kosovo, says that the conditions in the correctional center have changed. She says that in the last visit to this center on May 2, 2017, the hygiene level was satisfactory in all of the buildings where the minors stayed. However, the window mechanisms were still damaged.
She says that during former visits of the Correctional Center in Lipjan, on the 7th and 19th of October 2016, they received complaints from the minors, saying that some officials used a lot of force on them. They also noticed that there was tension between the minors and the officials, and between the minors as well. However, according to her, the director of the center and the police inspectorate have intervened in these cases.
According to the National Mechanism to Prevent Torture, more professional psycho-social group trainings for the minors need to be applied.
The coalition of NGOs for child protection (KOMF) has also noted a number of violations at the correctional center. According to the legal official of this coalition, Valdrin Dervishaj, some of the violations that they noted were prolonged detention, taking measures against the legislation in force, the staff using force as a disciplinary measure, holding the minors with educational measures in a closed institution (this directly violates the fundamental rights of minors), and lack of individual programs, all of which prevent the rehabilitation and reintegration of minors.
Dervishaj adds that there are a lot of difficulties to keep the educational system going and a lack of teachers and educative programs.
“This institution does not fulfill the preconditions to achieve its mission, especially rehabilitating and reintegrating the minors after punishments and other measures. In order to have a successful process of preparing the minors for release, there should be serious measures taken to improve the infrastructure of the center, increasing the number of professional staff, increasing rehabilitating and reintegrating programs, strengthening institutional cooperation and improving the efficiency of the legal system,” he says.
In the Correctional Center in Lipjan there are two categories for minors of both genders: minors sentenced to prison and minors who are in custody. They are ages 14 to 23 years old and are placed on different floors. However, minor women are placed together with adult ones.
According to the Juvenile Justice Code, minors can be sentenced to a maximum of ten years for criminal offences: for murder they are usually sentenced with nine years or nine years and six months of prison; for other offences they can be sentenced to four or five years of prison. Minors also receive educational and correctional measures.
In a report conducted by KOMF, it is said that juvenile judge visits did not happen every sixth months, like it is stated in the Juvenile Justice Code. The minors and the staff of the center are very unsatisfied with the cooperation of courts when it comes to the visits from the juvenile judges. Regarding mental health services with psychologists, the minors interviewed by KOMF said that these services and treatments do not occur at the required level. The doctors are usually late to give the service from the time the minor has requested medical assistance.
Haset Loku, director of the Correctional Center in Lipjan, says that although the minors are socializing with each other, there are problems with the low number of workers. There are only two social workers and only one psychologist on staff.
“In the Correctional Center in Lipjan, there are classes for minors from elementary to high school. The educational system is organized by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, but there are some problems with documentation regarding school this year. In addition to educational programs, there is also some professional training for minors like installing electricity, plumbing and construction work. The minors are very interested in these trainings and they get certified after successfully completing the training. We also offer some group trainings like the program EQUIP,” says Loku.
Alban Muriqi, project manager at the The Kosova Rehabilitation Center for Torture Victims, claims that minors in this institution do not have appropriate education or enough socialization programs and activities.
“The education is not of good quality and it is not sufficiently supported by the Ministry of Education or the Department of Education in the Municipality of Lipjan. In 2016, there was a three month suspension of the educational process and for two years the minors have not received certifications for finishing school. There is a lack of teachers, lack of school texts etc.,” says Muriqi.
He adds that the Correctional Center in Lipjan also has a library with a large number of books. However, they have no books in the social and education fields.
“The children are not very interested to learn. This institution has no policies or methods to encourage the minors to finish school,”says Muriqi.
He says that after the minors are released they have problems adapting to the outside world.
“They mostly come from families with socio-economic problems, unemployment, low level of education, often with a violent past, parents that are divorced or are on bad terms with each other. With only one psychologist who is not specialized in juvenile work and two social workers who work with all the individuals – women and minors (approximately 85 in total) — there can be no genuine work done,” says Muriqi.
The director of the Correctional Center, Loku, also mentions some cases where minors were released but continued to commit offences and were sent back to the Correctional Center in Lipjan.
Besarta Breznica
