Valmiera Prison gives inmates work and vocational training

About one in four inmates at Valmiera Prison have paid work, and some are also learning a profession during their sentences, LSM reports. Prison officials say the experience can help them enter the labour market after release and avoid returning to their previous way of life.

Prison staff, education representatives and labour-market specialists met at the prison to discuss how inmates can integrate into the labour market after serving their sentences.

A woodworking production facility operates on the prison grounds, where several dozen inmates make wooden frames and other products. Those who work there can earn money and gain work experience. The prison also offers courses in woodworking skills.

Dainis Jansons, an instructor at Jelgava Technical School, said he had met former students in the city who had found work after learning a profession in prison. Some former students who trained as welders are now employed, including one who welds ships at a shipbuilding plant, he said.

Valmiera Prison currently holds 354 convicted people. Of these, 96, or about one in four, work for pay. Commercial businesses employ 71 inmates, while another 25 work in the prison’s maintenance services. Other jobs are available in food preparation, the prison shop and other daily operations.

Tatjana Ļudvikova, head of the prison’s resocialisation department, said employment helps inmates develop work discipline before release. Employers may also recommend them or write references. Some return to their previous jobs, while others receive help from friends and relatives.

The prison recommends that inmates use consultations provided by the State Employment Agency both before and after their release.

The meeting also aimed to connect potential employees with employers before their release and show employers what skills inmates had acquired in prison.