ABSTRACT
In every country, criminal and penal enforcement policies are shaped by a long cultural, historical, political and legislative tradition. Crises of all kinds in a society further highlight the weaknesses and strengths of any system. The ideological and organisational framework of the Lithuanian prison system is built on the old post-totalitarian attributes, characterised by a fundamental lack of sympathy and attention to the interests of prisoners and their relatives, bad prison conditions and permanent confrontation between prisoners and staff. In such a situation, the natural reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic was to impose restrictions and closing off the outside world. Nevertheless, the decreasing number of prisoners and the ambitious plans of the new Lithuanian Government to reform the prison system fundamentally bring some hope for positive changes in the near future.
