The situation of Roma (Gypsy) prisoners in Finnish prisons is worse than that of other prisoners. This was the conclusion of a recent inquiry on the subject conducted by a working group from Finland's Criminal Sanctions Agency.

   

The enquiry reveals that in some prisons Roma prisoners have had to be situated in closed blocks because of other inmates' racist behaviour.

   

Those in the closed blocks often miss out on a lot of the prison's activities, such as teaching, work, or rehabilitation. Furthermore, the Roma prisoners in particular are often in dire need of education, the enquiry report asserts.

The working group

came to the conclusion that the Roma prisoners have had and still have special problems related to accommodation, employment, education, substance abuse rehabilitation, and getting assistance on their release from prison.

   

Overcrowding of prisons, lack of resources, and steadily increasing number of prisoners just add to the problems.

   

At the moment there are 120-140 Roma prisoners in Finnish prisons. According to the report, there is no need to establish special block sections for Roma prisoners.

   

"Principles of equal treatment call for a chance for all prisoners to share the same living areas", the working group states.

   

Prejudices also complicate the Roma prisoners' chances of getting into community service programmes. However, according to the information collected by the working group, after initiating community service programmes for Roma prisoners, things have gone smoothly, and feedback has been positive.

Upon release from prison,

on the other hand, Roma prisoners' situation has not been significantly worse from that of other prisoners. The support of family and relatives, in particular, has often been of great help. Still, the working group suggests the hiring of two support persons, who would link with the released Roma prisoners.

   

Five of Finland's prisons provide activities supporting the Roma culture. In the working group's opinion, every prison should have a liaison officer ensuring active connections with the Roma community.

   

Most importantly, however, the Roma prisoners should be encouraged to take part in the prison's normal education and rehabilitation activities, the working group concludes.