MINISTRY OF JUSTICE AND CIVIL LIBERTIES

NATIONAL ADMINISTRATION OF PENITENTIARIES

RAHOVA PENITENTIARY
BUCHAREST, ROMANIA

Sos. Alexandriei nr. 154, Bucharest

Tel. 0040.21 420.08.10/420.24.28, Fax 004021 420.20.58
E-mail: prahova@dgp.ro

General information

Rahova Penitentiary is 8 km away from the centre of Bucharest, the capital of

Romania.
Opened in 1997, the penitentiary has seven detention units. Its overall capacity is
of about 1700 places - male detainees serving definitive sentences in closed
regime, convicted by first instance courts and on preventive arrest.

The detainees are minors (up to 18 years old) in transit, young detainees (18-21
years old) and adults (over 21 years old).

Facilities
- classrooms and educational spaces
- sports facilities - two football fields, fitness rooms and exercise yards
- a carpentry workshop intended to train and qualify detainees
- a central Club for cultural activities
- a shop for detainees
- a church
- an Infirmary - for the aged /disabled detainees
- rooms for marital visits

Detention Regimes

Beginning with February 2009 Rahova Penitentiary accommodates only closed

regime and on preventive arrest detainees.

Closed Regime - detainees serving prison sentences between 5 -15 years of

detention

Preventive arrest
The Liaison Judge

His activity consists mainly in solving the detainees’ complaints against the
various disciplinary sanctions they receive, solving complaints against the
infringement of their rights and against ill treatment; hearing detainees who
intend to go on hunger strike etc.

Education and psychosocial assistance

Most of the detainees have little or no education at all, no professional

qualifications or working skills. The programmes are designed to meet their
individual needs: literacy and numeracy skills, substantial support and tuition for
the improvement of basic and social skills for future employment or training and
short qualifications which can be obtained in a few months.

A range of activities and opportunities are offered to prisoners while they are in
custody. These can include:

- education – the Second Chance Programme (designed for illiterate persons

and providing primary school courses), the quarantine program (acquaintance
with the internal organization rules of the penitentiary), sanitary education, a pre-
release program (letter of application, job seeking strategies, situation on the
labour market etc), the basics of decent behaviour, education on legal issues,
family life education, basic computer learning etc. (with the help of volunteers
from Youth for Justice Association)

- activities for an active life including painting and modelling workshops, quiz
contests on basic knowledge themes, various shows, music and dance
performance, detainees’ magazines, sport (including a range of individual and
team-based activities and competitions), library (books provided by the National
Library of Bucharest, Romania)

- religious assistance provided by the orthodox priest of the penitentiary

- voluntary religious activities provided by representatives of religious
cults/associations/ foundations such as Humanitarian Service for Penitentiaries,
Prison Fellowship, Bethesda Association, Zacheu Association etc.

- professional training courses.- masonry-bricklaying/carpentry/hairdressing

etc. delivered by personnel of the County Employment Agency

- work for the penitentiary such as cleaning, serving food etc. and for different
providers outside the penitentiary ( thus shortening the length of the imposed
sentence by the number of days worked)

Healthcare

Medical care is available to detainees from the doctors employed here. Drug
addicts who are substituted by methadone are looked after by the medical staff of
the Penitentiary Hospital.