Risks in prisons may disrupt crime-fighting in the Western Balkans.

According to the latest Global Organized Crime Index, published in September 2023, three out of six countries in the Western Balkans rank among the worst 10 in Europe for criminality (see Figure 1).¹ It is not surprising that the European Commission has emphasized the need for countries in the region to showcase substantial advances in crime-fighting.² It is also perhaps not surprising that four of the six countries in the region have incarceration rates that are above the European median (see Figure 2).

Figure 2 Prison population rates (inmates per 100 000 inhabitants) in 2022.

Sources: Council of Europe Annual Penal Statistics, World Prison Brief Data, data obtained from institutions upon request and Večernji list

For example, in 2022, there were 10 557 inmates in Serbian prisons and 5 357 in Albanian ones.³ In these two countries, more than one-quarter of all inmates are serving sentences for drug-related offences.⁴ However, not all serve sentences for drug production and distribution; most are in jail for possession rather than organized criminal activity. Indeed, of the roughly 23 000 individuals in prisons in the six Western Balkan countries in 2022,⁵ only a few hundred were convicted of offences related to organized crime, including 75 in Albania,⁶ 134 in Bosnia and Herzegovina,⁷ 11 in Kosovo,⁸ 48 in North Macedonia,⁹ 17 in Montenegro¹⁰ and 144 in Serbia.¹¹ While these numbers are relatively small, prisons in the region have inherent risks that could fuel rather than diminish organized crime.

Illegal communication from prisons

In some cases, prison does not seem to be an impediment to running criminal operations. Between 2014 and 2021, Darko Šarić, a convicted drug lord, resided in cell 117 at the Special Court’s detention centre in Belgrade, Serbia.¹² Prosecutors found that Šarić maintained constant communication, issued orders including assassinations and managed finances using encrypted Sky ECC devices over the period October 2020 to December 2021.¹³ Šarić conducted these operations from a supposedly highly secure facility where phone use is strictly prohibited.¹⁴

Serbia is not the only country in the region grappling with illegal communications from within prisons. In September 2023, a stash of hidden phones and chargers was found in Spuž Prison, Montenegro.¹⁵ In July 2023, six mobile phones were hidden inside an air conditioner unit.¹⁶ In January 2023, a drone equipped with two mobile phones was detected flying over the prison.¹⁷ In November 2022, a cooking pot with multiple hidden phones and a note reading ‘Brother loves you’ was uncovered.¹⁸

A drone equipped with two mobile phones detected in Spuž Prison, Montenegro.

Photo: UIKS

Recruitment from prisons into organized crime

In many countries around the world, prisons are fertile environments for recruiting petty criminals into criminal gangs or groups. Offenders serving terms for minor offences such as possession of drugs mix with hardened criminals. For example, in Serbia, older inmates with criminal backgrounds and links to football hooligan groups befriend and mentor younger prisoners who have not previously been involved in organized crime. After release, these younger individuals often join criminal groups. When the mentor is released, they sometimes go into business together, usually involving drug trafficking.¹⁹

For almost a decade, Montenegro has been bedeviled by deadly clashes between two violent criminal groups that compete for control of the cocaine market. Correctional institutions in Montenegro, such as the prison in Spuž that houses leaders and high-ranking members of organized criminal groups, are pivotal recruitment hubs for new members.²⁰ This is achieved by the seasoned convicts offering protection, access to expensive legal counsel, other forms of financial support and numerous other incentives.²¹

A related problem is insufficient post-penal support. When people who have served time are released from prison, they often lack licit support networks, employment opportunities or even basic documents, and they are stigmatized within their communities. As a result, some seek and find support in the organized criminal networks they began to associate with in prison. Lack of rehabilitation increases the risks of recidivism.

Corruption on the inside

Security in prisons is often undermined by corruption. The Western Balkans is no exception. As explained by a prison director in North Macedonia, corruption among correctional officers has enabled the illegal smuggling of weapons, telephones and drugs into jails.²² According to a former director of one of the country’s prisons, North Macedonia leads Europe in the number of jailbreaks and ‘this demonstrates the extent of criminality within the prison system’.²³

This has been highlighted in other reports.²⁴ In Montenegro, there are widespread allegations of collaboration between prison staff and organized criminal factions.²⁵ In Albania, an example came to light in April 2022 when the acting director of Shkoder prison was arrested for allegedly abusing his authority.²⁶ His predecessor had been suspended just three months earlier due to allegations of document forgery.²⁷ The need to address such risks is given added weight by a growing push to repatriate prisoners abroad back to the region.

Although some Western Balkan countries have improved their correctional systems, as acknowledged by the European Commission in its 2022 progress reports, several systemic challenges persist. Prison overcrowding is a common problem in the region, Kosovo aside. In North Macedonia, the European Commission urges that ‘systemic solutions to improve detention conditions be implemented with the utmost urgency’, while in Albania, prison conditions remain ‘an ongoing concern’.³⁹ In Bosnia and Herzegovina, there have been ‘no efforts to enhance detention conditions’, indicating a troubling lack of progress.⁴⁰ On a more positive note, Kosovo, Montenegro and Serbia have made strides in aligning themselves with international standards.⁴¹

To bolster prison security, it is essential to harness cutting-edge technology and conduct regular cell checks. Concurrently, the upgrade of judicial and correctional infrastructure is paramount, ensuring facilities meet modern standards. A holistic approach to improving the correctional environment is crucial, with a primary focus on enhancing working conditions for staff, shielding them from undue political and criminal pressures and fostering a culture of accountability to replace any prevailing complacency. Additionally, the implementation of in-prison rehabilitation programmes, facilitated in collaboration with civil society, holds promise in effectively reducing recidivism rates.

Notes