The Issues on Reforming the Penitentiary Systems in the Context of COVID-19

Abstract

The criminal justice process includes: discovering information about the committing criminal offense; investigation; arrest of the suspect; imposition of a sentence; in many cases the enforcement of imprisonment and finally the reintegration of the former prisoner. The citizens’ sense of security depends on the completeness of this process because it is in the common interest of members of societies that released ex-prisoners do not jeopardise the order of peaceful coexistence within communities. Nonetheless, during the analysis of the security challenges of prisons amplified by COVID-19, the law enforcement profession has very little engagement with the imprisonment and the reintegration of detainees. This is a huge mistake, because prison systems are in a global crisis and have been for more than 40 years – and the COVID-19 epidemic has only exacerbated this original ongoing crisis – so the effectiveness of prison systems has never been more questionable than it is at this moment. It can be stated that the COVID-19 infection affected the continents and certain geographical areas to varying degrees, resulting in the unfortunate outcome of prison riots breaking out in some of the most infected countries in Europe due to the uncertainty of the convicts and the restrictive measures taken. This paper will describe and analyse the typical causes of the both the original ongoing crisis of the prison systems and the new health crisis, then propose measures to improve the situation. The proposals are based on the international literature and positive experiences in Hungary.