The halfway houses will only accommodate people who have “realized the harm caused by their offences and are ready to work, study and return to the society”.
Every halfway house will accommodate up to 20 inmates and employ four social workers, as well as security and supervision staff. Another person will be in charge of maintenance and operations.
“We strongly believe that the Norwegian system, which has been the practice in their country for many years, will work in our country as well. Let it be for a small group but there will definitely be convicts whom we trust and who meet our expectations,” Česlovas Jocius, deputy director of Vilnius Penitentiary, told a news conference on Friday.
The halfway house project is estimated to cost over 5 million litas (EUR 1.45m).
Opening of the halfway houses in Lithuania is expected in December 2015 or January 2016, with 80 inmates for the four houses to be selected by administrations of prisons and penitentiaries.
In Lithuania, about 9,000 persons are held in remand, penitentiaries and prisons.
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