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INTERVIEW/ Guard: 22 hours in a cell, the difficulties of Albanians in English prisons!

2023-07-30 21:43:54Aktualitet SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX

INTERVIEW/ Guard: 22 hours in a cell, the difficulties of Albanians in English

Albania and England are preparing for the signing in September of the agreement agreed between the two governments for the transfer of Albanian prisoners to continue serving their sentences in Albanian prisons. 

Under conditions of anonymity, a guard who serves in English prisons, through a telephone interview, told Top Channel journalist Muhamed Veliu how this agreement was received by the Albanian prisoners there. He talks about the behavior of Albanians and shows the difficulties they face at the end of their sentence.

It gives a first-hand account of how Albanians in English prisons, as well as those of other nationalities, can illegally obtain mobile phones, with which, through videos on TikTok, they bring life inside the prison, often becoming the subject of articles in the English media. .

Muhamed Veliu: How has the Albanians in English prisons received the news of their transfer to continue serving their sentences in English prisons?

Gardiani : From what I have heard in three different prisons where I work here in England, this agreement has found the support of Albanian prisoners. The majority of Albanians in English prisons do not speak English. They are in a big dilemma as to what will happen after serving their sentence.

Meanwhile, if they go to Albania, they will have their families there. If we talk about the internal regime of prisons here in England, it is very different from that in Albania. Starting from the possibility of sending food from the family, which is not allowed in English prisons. They have welcomed this agreement as they are aware of the difficulties they face in English prisons where you are locked up 22 hours a day and only 2 hours of ventilation.

I would like to point out that about 80% of the Albanian prisoners in the prisons here do not speak English. They received their transfer agreement very well. They want to flee to Albania and have made a request to the prison directorate here.

Muhamed Veliu: Do you believe that this is an agreement in favor of Albanian prisoners in English prisons?

Guard : Of course, because it's very difficult to be in a prison in a foreign country where you don't know the language and you're away from your family. I believe we are dealing with a very good deal for Albanian citizens imprisoned in the United Kingdom.

Muhamed Veliu: For what criminal offenses were they convicted?

Gardiani : Criminal offenses range from, kidnapping, domestic violence, but most of them, over 80%, are involved in what are known as cannabis growing houses.

There are also those convicted of possession and sale of strong Class A drugs such as cocaine or heroin. There are also Albanians serving sentences for murder.

Muhamed Veliu: What is the main problem of Albanians in English prisons? 

Warden : One of the main problems is when they finish their sentence and continue to stay in prison for being illegal.

For example. An Albanian who has completed a 6-month sentence for being involved in the cultivation of cannabis has to spend another 3 months in prison until the Home Office decides the penetration. This puts them in very difficult positions at a time when they have completed their sentence.

Muhamed Veliu: I believe you have seen that the photos of Albanians convicted there for murder and who will be transferred to Albania have been published in the British media. Have you met any of them in the prisons where you work?

Guardian : Yes, I have met most of those listed in the Daily Telegraph article. Some of them have been under my supervision as a prison warden and I want to say that their behavior has been exemplary.

Muhamed Veliu: From the conversations you had, were they hindered by the murders committed?

Guard : I spoke with one of them for a long time and more specifically spending time as I was the person responsible for him. In a conversation, I asked him why he committed the murder. He told me that it was just a matter of the moment and that he had never planned what happened, but the situation got out of his control.

He was very sad and depressed. The victim had gone to rob their apartment turned home to grow cannabis. This Albanian told me that he should not have been involved in this in the first place as it was illegal.

Muhamed Veliu: How is their behavior compared to other prisoners?

Gardiani : I can say that I am proud that I had the opportunity to work and take care of Albanian convicts. They have exemplary behavior. We as officers in these prisons are impressed by their behavior.

What impresses us is that they always hang out with each other. In the prison where I currently serve, most Albanians have applied to work as cleaners. They do the best possible job we have ever seen.

Muhamed Veliu: Is there racism against Albanians in English prisons, either by guards or other prisoners?

Guard : This exists among prisoners, but not among us prison officers. The groups of African prisoners have a racism towards the Albanians because they want to show who is the strongest.

But I see as the biggest problem for Albanian prisoners the first moment when they are brought from the court where they received the sentence to prison.

Reception, as it is known in our everyday working language. Not speaking English, they have no idea about this prison admission process.

They have difficulty contacting their families because they don't remember their phone numbers, since it costs 12 pence per minute to call Albania and they don't have anything to pay with.

Muhamed Veliu: We see on social networks many Albanians posting videos on social networks from English prisons. How do they enable the possession of mobile phones, something banned in English prisons?

Gardiani : Most of the problems appeared during the time of Covid. We were not allowed to check in due to social distancing of two meters. Some convicts may have contact with the prison stores, and when food is packed from the outside, phones are inserted. There are also guards who bring them from abroad.

Muhamed Veliu: A prisoner, it doesn't matter if he is Albanian, Polish or English, how much does he pay to have a cell inside the cell?

Guard: I heard prices vary. An iPhone 5 or 6 goes for 800 pounds and the others 1500 pounds and above.

Muhamed Veliu: Who makes the payment?

Warden: Prisoners call family members and they contact the person who brings the phone.

Muhamed Veliu: Statistics show that 1,552 Albanians are convicted or awaiting punishment in English prisons, ranking them first in number for foreign nationalities. In your opinion, we are dealing with an increased criminality of Albanians in Great Britain?

Guard : Yes and No. In conditions where English prisons are beyond capacity, the Ministry of Justice here has asked the courts to apply alternative punishments such as probation or community work.

Since Albanians do not have a fixed address, the court cannot grant them bail. This is the reason for this high number of Albanians in English prisons. / Ch


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