At the present time, in Romania there are several thousand prisoners who work, and the penitentiaries obtain income of millions of lei from their work. Depending on the service contracts and the field of activity, the amounts received per day by the inmates are between 30 and 64 lei
More than 6,000 prisoners work PHOTO National Administration of Penitentiaries
According to the data provided to “Adevărul” by the National Administration of Penitentiaries, the revenues obtained in 2023 by the penitentiaries in Romania through the work performed by persons deprived of liberty amounted to 70.4 million lei without VAT.
The following penitentiaries ranked first in terms of non-VAT income obtained from inmates' work in 2023: Timișoara (12.7 million lei), Jilava (7.5 million lei), Arad (6.4 million lei), Bistrița (3 .7 million lei), Gherla (3.1 million lei), Codlea (2.8 million lei), Poarta Albă (2.6 million lei), Oradea (2.2 million lei), Târgu Jiu (2.2 million lei), Aiud (2.1 million lei) and Craiova (2.1 million lei).
For this year, the forecasts regarding the income obtained through the work of prisoners are 84.3 million lei.
On December 31, 2023, there were 6,032 persons deprived of liberty who were registered in Romanian penitentiaries. According to the ANP, on February 26, 2024, there were a total of 23,871 people deprived of liberty in Romanian prisons, which means that a quarter of the prisoners in Romania are working.
Last year, the Timișoara Penitentiary had the highest monthly average of inmates involved in gainful activities, namely 480.
An inmate earns between 30 and 64 lei per day PHOTO National Penitentiary Administration
“The number of hours worked by a person deprived of liberty is that stipulated by the labor legislation, namely eight hours a day. The minimum income is that corresponding to the minimum wage in the economy, of which 40% goes to the convicted person, and 60% goes to the prison administration, constituting own income that is collected”the representatives of the National Administration of Penitentiaries stated for “Adevărul”.
The fields in which most prisoners work are related to the automobile industry (car wiring), construction and the processing of various products from the food industry.
“The amounts received by inmates per day as a result of the work performed are between 30 and 64 lei, these being influenced by the hourly rate at which service contracts are concluded and the number of hours worked”said officials from the Mioveni Penitentiary.
