Government reprimands prison service chief over Kaunas staffing changes

The Lithuanian government has reprimanded Mindaugas Kairys, head of the Lithuanian Prison Service, over staffing decisions at Kaunas Prison, LRT reported, citing the ELTA news agency.

The decision was made on Wednesday following a disciplinary investigation. The Justice Ministry said Kairys breached the Internal Service Statute and other laws by abolishing positions at Kaunas Prison and failing to comply with an order from Justice Minister Rita Tamašunienė to reverse those decisions.

Tamašunienė proposed the reprimand after receiving reports from trade unions that a prison reform was forcing officers to move from security management units to resocialisation units. She said efforts to strengthen resocialisation should not weaken prison security or reduce staffing where personnel were already in short supply.

The ministry said the reprimand does not by itself mean Kairys will be dismissed. Under the statute, dismissal for misconduct may be imposed if an officer has received a strict reprimand or a more severe disciplinary penalty in the previous 12 months. The government decides on Kairys’s appointment and dismissal.

Two trade unions had urged the government not to approve the reprimand, arguing that Kairys acted lawfully in reallocating staff at Kaunas Prison. Kairys also rejected the allegations, saying employees were not forced to change departments and that those who declined the move were offered other positions within the Prison Service. He said staff moving to resocialisation roles were offered higher pay, while prison officers’ wages would rise by 80 to 90 euros.

Kairys said halting the changes at Kaunas Prison could cause further operational disruptions. Tamašunienė said the reform needed to protect security and officers’ working conditions as well as strengthen resocialisation.

Kairys has previously received disciplinary penalties. In July 2025, the government issued him a reprimand and then a strict reprimand, following investigations into the use of service funds and a service vehicle. Former Justice Minister Rimantas Mockus later proposed dismissing him, but Kairys was granted whistleblower status, which prevents dismissal.

The Special Investigation Service opened a pre-trial investigation into possible unlawful influence on Kairys, but closed it in May 2026. LRT, citing unofficial information from the Delfi news portal, reported that the investigation concerned Mockus’s actions.

Kairys was appointed deputy director of the Prison Service in March 2023 and became its director in May 2024.