FUNCTIONING OF LATVIAN DETENTION INSTITUTIONS SAFETY SYSTEM IN CASE OF TECHNOGENIC DISASTER THREAT

Abstract

In both the world and Latvia, people who are serving sentences and are in places of detention for the committed criminal offenses occupy a special place in society. There are 12 places of imprisonment in Latvia where people who have committed criminal offenses are serving punishment and Latvian statistics show that in 2017 there were 3,765 people in detention [1]. Most of the people in prisons are 30-35 years of age, they are potentially part of the economically active population. Latvian society is interested that these people after having served their sentence in detention places return to society and promote the country’s economic development. The study was carried out to identify what deficiencies exist in ensuring the safety of detainees in detention places in case of a technogenic disaster outside the prison area, whether the safety system established in Latvia ensures the human right to safety while in detention. The article reviews the mechanism of technogenic safety and civil protection based on the analysis of national legislation, which is necessary to ensure a maximum security at detention places, as well as the provision of necessary resources from the state. The security of prisoners in Latvia is based on national laws and the Cabinet of Ministers regulations containing the security norms and methods, of which use allows the responsible authorities to react quickly, promptly and comprehensively to dangerous situations in external environment. The outcome of the present study is a general review of the technogenic safety system of Latvian detention institutions and identification of shortcomings, based on a comprehensive analysis of Latvian legislation.