Ombudsman Criticises Low Wages Of Prison Inmates
- 25 Apr 2017 7:00 AM
After the deduction of accommodation and other costs, inmates are left with almost no money, and this is generating tensions in prison life, Magyar Nemzet said, citing a recent report by the ombudsman. Visiting the Sátoraljaújhely Detention Centre, in northern Hungary, as part of a series of reviews within the UN’s Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture (OPCAT) review system, the ombudsman, László Székely, concluded that prison inmates in Hungary are often left with abysmally low amounts of money, which leads to massive work-shirking.
Prison work is not part of the social security contribution system, which infringes on the workers’ basic right to social security, the ombudsman said.
The system also leaves longterm inmates without pension and in a hopeless situation, he added. The ombudsman has called on the minister of human resources and the interior minister to review the law on pensions.
Reacting to the ombudsman’s remarks, the ministry of the interior said that the additional costs of prison work already strained the prison system. Revenue from the inmates’ work falls far short of covering the expenses, the ministry said.
The Sátoraljaújhely prison is crowded to 162% of its capacity: originally erected to house 263 inmates, it now has 421.
Republished with permission of Hungary Matters, MTI’s daily newsletter.
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