Vilnius Prison employee faces dismissal over relationships with inmates

A Vilnius Prison employee is facing dismissal after maintaining unauthorised relationships with inmates for about six months, LRT reported, citing the Lithuanian Prison Service.

The employee, who worked in the prison’s Resocialisation Department, requested that dismissal proceedings be launched.

The Prison Service will assess what actions she took for the benefit of the inmates and whether she acted lawfully.

The service said such relationships between employees and inmates are incompatible with the ethical principles governing officers and staff. They also pose a threat to the institution’s security and undermine trust in the system for enforcing sentences.

The Prison Service said it could not provide further details while the circumstances were being investigated.

As BNS previously reported, two Vilnius Prison officers left their jobs in July over close, romantic and intimate relationships with inmates. An employee of a catering company also lost permission to enter the prison.