Norway directs most of 36 million euros to prison upgrades
Saturday 10th October 2026 on 13:01 in
Lithuania
Most of a 36 million euro Norwegian grant will go towards upgrading prison infrastructure in Vilnius and Kaunas over five years, LRT reported, citing the Justice Ministry. The remaining funds are planned for improving prison operations and strengthening probation services.
The ministry expects to sign the agreement for the Norwegian Financial Mechanism’s Justice programme in December. Work to modernise the corrections system is due to begin in early 2027 and run until 2030 or 2031.
Of the funding, 25.4 million euros is earmarked for prison infrastructure. Plans include 160 cell-based detention places at Vilnius Prison and 50 at Kaunas Prison, as well as upgrades to 41 prison security and supervision posts. The ministry said technical designs for buildings at Vilnius Prison had been approved and reconstruction permits obtained.
A further 8.2 million euros is planned for improving prison operations. The money will fund staff training in a holistic security model and other modern working methods at the prisons in Panevėžys, Marijampolė and Kaunas. Plans also include advanced tools to monitor prisoners’ movements and electronically detect psychoactive substances, as well as improvements to the corrections system’s information system, KADIS.
The probation service is set to receive 2.4 million euros. The funding will support a pilot reintegration centre based on a one-stop-shop model, digital alerts to warn crime victims when the person who harmed them is nearby, electronic monitoring equipment with psychoactive substance detection, and staff training.
The programme will also introduce new rehabilitation programmes for vulnerable groups of prisoners and expand the role of non-governmental organisations in prison and probation services. Justice Vice-Minister Martynas Dobrovolskis said the programme would focus on staff skills, rehabilitation, effective probation and modern technology.
Lithuania will implement the programme with the Norwegian Directorate of Correctional Service. The two countries have shared practical experience and expertise in modernising the corrections system, supporting prisoners’ rehabilitation and reducing the risk of reoffending.
Last December, Lithuania signed memorandums covering 118 million euros in funding from Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. At the time, 54 million euros was earmarked for civil protection and 55.7 million euros for justice programmes.