The purpose of this ad hoc visit was to examine the treatment of persons held in prisons and to follow up on the situation found in the 2022 visit. More specifically, the visiting delegation considered the measures taken by the Latvian authorities in response to the long-standing CPT recommendations regarding inter-prisoner violence, the influence of the informal prisoner hierarchy, and the provision of health care in prisons.
During the visit, the delegation held consultations with Kristine Pommere, Deputy State Secretary of the Ministry of Justice, and Dmitrijs Kaļins, Head of the Prison Administration, as well as with other senior officials from the Ministry of Justice and Prison Administration.
At the end of the visit, the delegation presented its preliminary observations to the Latvian authorities.
The visit was carried out by the following members of the CPT:
- Victor Zaharia, Head of delegation
- Dovilė Juodkaitė
- Tinatin Uplisashvili.
They were supported by Dalia Žukauskienė of the CPT’s Secretariat and assisted by an expert, Marzena Ksel, medical doctor, former Head of the Medical Department of the Polish Prison Service.
The delegation visited the following prisons:
- Daugavgrīva Prison
- Jēkabpils Prison
- Jelgava Prison
- Valmiera Prison